Half dozen young people implicated in beating teen in retaliation for Wal-Mart stabbing

October 19th, 2017

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS –  Four people were arrested overnight and two teenage suspects are at large in connection with a nighttime baseball bat attack on a 19-year-old rural Chehalis resident which he believes was retaliation from when a friend of his recently stabbed a person outside Wal-Mart, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office only this morning revealed the assault occurred, about 1 a.m. on Friday at the 200 block of Brockway Road.

Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said deputies learned the 19-year-old male had been walking his dog when a car pulled up at the entrance to his driveway and an individual wearing a red bandana exited and asked him what he was doing.

The 19-year-old victim said a male and a female then got out of the vehicle and confronted him. At one point, he said, they were armed with bats and hit him in the head two or three times, according to Breen. The victim suffered lacerations and bumps, Breen said.

The car, which he thought was a white 1990s Honda Accord-type vehicle, then left driving toward state Route 6, according to the sheriff’s office.

Breen said an investigation and interviews beginning about 9:30 p.m. yesterday led to the arrests and booking of four suspects for second-degree assault.

The first is a 16-year-old Chehalis girl who was not named, and was booked into the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center.

Booked into the Lewis County Jail were Victor E. Gonzalez, 18, of Centralia; Jesus A. Gomez, 19, of Centralia; and Taylor S. Rodgers, 20, of Chehalis.

The other two suspects who have not yet been located are Stormie M. McKenzie, 19, from Winlock, and an un-named 17-year-old boy from North Bend, according to Breen.

Two weeks ago, officers were dispatched for a fight between two males in Wal-Mart’s parking lot at the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue in Chehalis, but when they arrived both were gone. Police soon learned a 17-year-old boy  was seeking medical treatment at Providence Centralia Hospital for a stab wound in his chest. Friends of the 17-year-old in the hospital waiting room said he’d gotten into a fight with another male who stabbed him.

The following day Jose F. Chagolla Flores, 18, of Onalaska, and his vehicle were found at a friend’s home on Brockway Road and he was arrested for first-degree assault.

Chagolla Flores allegedly told police he was meeting someone at Wal-Mart to sell them some marijuana when the 17-year-old showed up and knocked him down, so he stabbed him.

The adult suspects for the baseball bat attack are tentatively scheduled to go before a judge this afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court.
•••

For background, read “Chehalis Wal-Mart stabbing suspect says teen hit him first” from Tuesday October 10, 2017, here

Mossyrock resident admits to felony DUI

October 18th, 2017

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS –  The Mossyrock man arrested less than three weeks ago for felony driving under the influence pleaded guilty this morning and was sentenced in Lewis County Superior Court.

James G. Blunt, 51, was facing a standard sentencing range of 13 to 17 months in prison. The judge imposed a 15-month sentence, Lewis County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher said.

“We gave him a little slack because he pled out right away,” Meagher said.

He wanted to plead guilty back at his arraignment, Meagher said.

Blunt was arrested early on the morning of Sept. 29, pulled over for speeding on Centralia Alpha Road near Oppelt Road.

Charging documents stated he told the deputy he’d consumed about half the Mike’s Hard Lemonade alcohol beverage with him in his vehicle and had about four hits of marijuana roughly five minutes earlier.

The offense was a felony for Blunt instead of a gross misdemeanor because he has a past conviction for vehicular homicide while under the influence. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison after striking and killing a bicyclist near Mossyrock while intoxicated in 2001.

Meagher said he appreciated Blunt’s attitude, saying the defendant had been staying on a program since his release from prison, and although he fell off, so to speak, he said he’d he’d just take the next year and a half to get back in line.
•••

For background, read “Mossyrock man charged with felony driving under the influence” from Saturday September 30, 2017, here

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

October 18th, 2017
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•••

Updated at 5:35 p.m.

BURGLARY VADER

• A deputy responded about 9:50 p.m. yesterday to the 400 block of Annonen Road in Vader where a woman reported someone had broken in sometime after 8:45 a.m. and stole a large amount of jewelry. The loss is estimated at $4,600, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. There is a “person of interest” in the case, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said.

THEFT CENTRALIA

• A deputy was called yesterday by a 60-year-old Chehalis man who reported his portable saw mill set up on property on the 2600 block of North Pearl Street in Centralia had been stolen. It was last seen on Friday and is valued at $10,000, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Missing too is a 40 hp Volkswagen engine, a 30-inch main saw and two 20-inch edge saws, according to the sheriff’s office.

• An individual reported money missing from her room yesterday at the 900 block of South Scheuber Road in Centralia, according to the Centralia Police Department.

INVESTIGATION

• Chehalis police were called just before 11 a.m. yesterday because someone had possibly gone inside someone’s residence at the 300 block of Southwest Third Street. The incident is under investigation, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police were called about 6:40 p.m. yesterday about a vehicle prowl at the 100 block of Northeast Terrace Road in which someone got inside an unlocked vehicle and stole a backpack, four to five pairs of sun glasses and four wireless personal headphones.

• Chehalis police were called about 4:20 p.m. yesterday and told someone had removed items from a car while it was parked at the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue.

• An individual reported yesterday the attempted theft of a flood light bar from the roof of his vehicle while it was at the 900 block of Johnson Road in Centralia.

• Chehalis police were called just after 9 a.m. yesterday for a vehicle prowl at the 400 block of Northeast Jefferson Avenue. Removed from a vehicle which possibly had been left unlocked were three jackets and an MP3 player, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

DRUGS

• Three people were arrested yesterday after allegedly shoplifting alcohol from a store on the 500 block of South Tower Avenue and one of them was also arrested for possession of methamphetamine, according to the Centralia Police Department. Officers called about 3:10 p.m. booked Maria Y. Adams, 31, of Rochester, into the Lewis County Jail for possession of a controlled substance, according to police. Dustin M. Hansen, 33, of Oakville, was booked for third-degree theft and Nathan S. Page, 27, of Centralia, was arrested for third-degree theft and then released pending court, according to police.

• Bail was set at $250,000 today for a 43-year-old Rochester man arrested yesterday by detectives with the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration in a parking lot in Thurston County and then charged in Lewis County Superior Court with three counts of delivery of methamphetamine. Terry M. Munsell allegedly sold meth to a confidential source between Aug. 1 and yesterday, twice in Lewis County and once in Thurston County, charging documents state. He was picked up on a trip permit violation yesterday, Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Joel DeFazio said. DeFazio told the judge he was informed by detectives just prior to the afternoon bail hearing, a federal indictment has just come down for Munsell as well. Charging documents relate information about a case now pending in Thurston County Superior Court stemming from a September visit by JNET to Munsell’s residence in Rochester, where they allegedly seized more than an ounce of heroin and two firearms, one of which was stolen. Munsell is a convicted felon and prohibited from having guns, according to the documents. He was booked into jail in Thurston County for those circumstances, but bailed out on a $25,000 bond. His arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 26 in  Lewis County Superior Court.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• Mateo Antonio Gonzalez, 24, of Shelton, was arrested last night for hit and run and driving under the influence after he allegedly struck a parked trailer at the 600 block of North Pearl Street in Centralia and then drove off. Officers responding about 11 p.m. booked him into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A 51-year-old Cinebar man was arrested for driving under the influence and fourth-degree assault yesterday afternoon after he was pulled over following calls about a possible DUI headed east on U.S. Highway 12 from Interstate 5 to the Mossyrock area. Cleve D. Allison had allegedly been hitting his passenger and was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for drugs, warrants, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license, driving without required ignition interlock device; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, hit and run, harassment, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances, misdemeanor assault … and more among 147 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m.

Centralia mother pleads guilty to severe neglect of son

October 17th, 2017
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Mary G. Foxworth keeps her head down as she leaves the defense table in Lewis County Superior Court.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Centralia mother of boy who at 16 years old was so malnourished he weighed less than 60 pounds pleaded guilty yesterday to first-degree criminal mistreatment.

Her husband made the same plea last week.

Mary G. Foxworth, 43, admitted to a judge in Lewis County Superior Court she failed to provide basic necessities of life, recklessly causing great bodily harm.

Foxworth, seated beside her lawyer Jacob Clark, answered the judge’s questions so quietly in the nearly empty courtroom, she could barely be heard.

Judge Joely O’Rourke queried her, to make sure she was capable of understanding the proceedings. The last grade Foxworth completed in school was the ninth grade, she said.

The couple entered into deals with prosecutors to plead guilty as charged and avoid a trial, in which if so-called aggravating circumstances were added and they were convicted, a judge would be free to sentence them to up to 10 years in prison.

The standard sentencing range they will face at sentencing is 51 months to 68 months of incarceration.

The charges were filed at the end of last year, after an investigation that began almost a year earlier. The couple has not been held in jail.

Prosecutors alleged the boy had not seen a doctor since 2007 and had not been enrolled in school since 2011, yet had two siblings who appeared healthy and presented little concern.

The situation came to light when the Foxworths took their son to the doctor in January of 2016, saying he had not been eating or drinking for about three weeks and had abdominal pain. Medical providers described him as skin and bones, whiter than a sheet of paper and he was hospitalized, suffering from severe malnutrition, severe constipation and anemia, according to Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Melissa Bohm.

Bohm alleged further he weighed just 54 pounds, was missing patches of hair, could not stand on his own, was wearing pull-ups and needed 24 of his teeth treated when he was seen by a dentist.

Charging documents don’t indicate when he he was put in foster care, but state that at some point before December 2016, he had grown more than three inches and his weight increased to 93 pounds.

No further explanation has been shared by authorities, except Mary Foxworth reportedly said she didn’t know when her son began to lose weight because she was too wrapped up in her own depression.

She was accompanied in court yesterday by two women, who left with her after the short hearing.

Anthony S. Foxworth Sr., 45, and his wife are scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 1. in Lewis County Superior Court.
•••

For background, read “‘Skin and bones’: Parents charged with severe neglect of teen” from Thursday January 5, 2017, here

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

October 17th, 2017
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•••

AUTO THEFT

• A stolen vehicle from Portland was recovered unoccupied about 7:15 p.m. yesterday at Reynolds Avenue and North Pearl Street in Centralia, according to the Centralia Police Department.

OTHER THEFT

• Centralia police were called to the 800 block of South Gold Street about 1 p.m. yesterday to take a report of the theft of two chainsaws.

CAR PROWL

• A power converter and a spare key were reported stolen from a vehicle at the 600 block of South Diamond Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 3:10 a.m. today.

• Centralia police were called about 9:30 a.m. yesterday about the theft of gas from a vehicle at the 1100 block of West Main Street.

VANDALISM

• Chehalis police were called just before 10 a.m. yesterday about a tire on a vehicle being “punched” at the 200 block of Southeast Park Hill Drive.

DRUGS

• A 46-year-old Centralia man was arrested after an officer was notified about 7:18 p.m. yesterday of a fight in a parking lot along the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue and contacted a man who had an outstanding warrant. A search of Jeremy L. Boggess incident to his arrest turned up a a pipe which field-tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Boggess was booked into the Lewis County Jail for his warrant and for possession of a controlled substance, according to police. The alleged victim from the suspected fight didn’t want charges pursued, police said.

UNWANTED PICTURE

• An individual called Chehalis police yesterday morning after receiving a text with a nude photo from an unknown person.

STINKY SMELL

• A person called Chehalis police from the 1200 block of Northwest State Avenue yesterday morning to complain that their customers were complaining of a bad odor from a marijuana facility.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• One person was hurt and two cars were totaled in a three-vehicle accident this morning on state Route 6 just west of Chehalis. Troopers called to the scene near milepost 50 at 6:20 a.m. report a Toyota 4Runner and a Toyota Corolla station wagon were stopped because a semi truck was blocking the roadway and and the 45-year-old driver of a Honda Accord was unable to stop in time, striking one car and pushing it to the other. Sahib Singh, 45, from Chehalis, was injured and transported to Providence Centralia Hospital and his Honda was impounded, according to the Washington State Patrol. Singh was to be issued a citation for following too closely, according to the state patrol.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for drugs, warrants, hit and run, probation violation, driving with suspended license, misdemeanor domestic assault, violation of anti-harassment order; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, harassment, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances … and more among 156 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

October 16th, 2017
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•••

Updated at 6:12 p.m.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• A 26-year-old man was arrested for attempting to elude after failing to stop for a deputy who tried to pull him over, and then jumping out of his vehicle, which rolled into a light pole early yesterday morning. The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reports it was about 4:35 a.m. when the deputy was traveling southbound on the 1500 block of Gold Street in Centralia and spotted the man’s vehicle heading northbound in the same lane. The vehicle reportedly pulled into a parking lot and then headed south, before the driver jumped out, according to the sheriff’s office. The suspect, James L. Mead was taken into custody and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to Chief Deputy Dusty Breen.

THEFT, THEFT, THEFT

• Centralia police were called just before 2 p.m. yesterday to a business on the 900 block of South Gold Street where someone had forced their way inside and stole cash and negotiable documents.

• An officer was called to a home on the 600 block of M Street in Centralia on Saturday morning to take a report of the theft of jewelry.

• An ATV and tools were stolen from a garage at the 900 block of L Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 1 p.m. on Friday.

• Centralia police were called to the 3000 block of Russell Road in Centralia about 10:50 a.m. on Friday where cash was reported stolen from a drop box.

• Chehalis police were called on Friday to take a report of theft from a storage unit on the 1900 block of Northeast Kresky Avenue. Among the property missing are suitcases and clothing totaling about $2,000, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Chehalis police were called on Friday by an individual who reported the theft of a small purse containing identification, a credit card and a cell phone on Oct. 7 from the 300 block of Southwest 16th Street.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• Prosecutors today charged a 24-year-old Centralia man with offenses related to allegedly being found with pouches containing 60 grams of methamphetamine and 40 grams of heroin when he was picked up on a warrant on March 22. Gabriel Escamilla Jr. allegedly stated he was willing to “work with law enforcement” but his cooperation was sparse at first and then dwindled to nothing, according to charging documents. The court documents allege that on July 26, when Escamilla was arrested again, at Wal-Mart, on another Department of Corrections warrant, he was found to have with him suspected heroin, numerous clean baggies, a scale, a methamphetamine pipe with residue, $320 in his wallet and a fake $100 bill. He was charged today in Lewis County Superior Court with two counts of possession of heroin with intent to deliver and two counts of possession of methamphetamine. His bail was set at $10,000. Escamilla was already being held in the Lewis County Jail since Aug. 28, when his vehicle was pursued by an unmarked law enforcement vehicle and Escamilla fled, then lost control slamming into the carport of a residence at the 600 block of Woodland Avenue in Centralia.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, obstructing, shoplifting, resisting arrest, probation violation, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license, misdemeanor domestic assault, third-degree malicious mischief, minor in possession and/or consumption of alcohol; responses for alarm, fraud, dispute, civil issue, shoplifting, harassment, vehicle collision, fighting in public, misdemeanor theft, suspicious circumstances, violation of no contact order … and more among 418 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 72-hour period ending about 7 a.m.

•••

CORRECTION: This post has been updated to reflect the correct charges filed against Gabriel Escamilla Jr.

Jasper: Defendant who won appeal in toddler death has a decision to make

October 14th, 2017
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Danny Wing finishes up with his lawyer after hearing in Lewis County Superior Court

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS –  Danny A. Wing’s lawyer wanted a year for his client to decide if he ought to withdraw his guilty plea, but a Lewis County Superior Court judge yesterday said no.

Wing was convicted and then sentenced two years ago following a complex plea deal, for his role in the abuse, neglect and death of a 3-year-old boy who was temporarily part of his family’s household.

Jasper Henderling-Warner died in October 2014.

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Jasper Henderling-Warner

Wing had hoped to get a prison sentence of 15 or 16 years, but prosecutors argued he didn’t hold up his end of the deal and asked he be locked up for 55 years. A judge imposed a sentence of almost 35 years.

But then earlier this year, an appeals court found Wing’s plea was premised on an incorrect offender score and reversed the convictions, allowing Wing to withdraw the plea. The convictions are for first-degree manslaughter and third-degree child assault.

Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer has said if Wing withdrew his plea, prosecutors would take the case to trial. The original charge included homicide by abuse as an alternative.

Yesterday afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court, Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Sara Beigh told the judge she could not find a good reason for further delay.

“The next step her is Mr. Wing is going to decide if he’s going to withdraw his guilty plea,” Beigh said. “Also, we’re dealing with crime victims here, and their rights.”

Judge Andrew Toynbee agreed with Beigh, and said he felt 30 days would be sufficient.

The judge set a deadline for 5 p.m. on Nov. 13 for Wing, through his attorney, to file in writing his withdrawal of his plea. Toynbee said failure to do so would mean his previous guilty plea remains in effect.

A hearing for review was put on the court calendar for Nov. 16.

Wing, now 29, is represented by Vancouver attorney Sean Downs.

His wife Brenda A. Wing got the same sentence as her husband and has won the same opportunity to withdraw her pleas.

The Vancouver-area family had been living in Vader about two weeks when the Wings called 911 on Oct. 5, 2014 to say the toddler was unconscious and not breathing. Jasper’s 21-year-old mother had given the couple temporary custody while she was homeless and looked for work out of state. Jasper died at Providence Centralia Hospital.

The autopsy found abrasions, bruises, facial trauma and healing fractures and labeled the cause of death as chronic battered child syndrome. Jasper was suffering from skin infections that were found to be secondary to his cause of death.

Danny Wing’s formal statement said he recklessly Jasper’s death by failing to get medical care for him.
•••

For background, read “Jasper: Toddler death case in limbo as defendant contemplates options” from Tuesday October 10, 2017, here