Posts Tagged ‘news reporter’

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011

CENTRALIA WOMAN WAKES UP TO STRANGER IN HER BED

• Centralia police were called just before 1 o’clock this morning to a residence on G Street where a woman said she woke up to an intruder on top of her in her bed. “She kind of yelled at him and asked ‘what are you doing’,” Officer John Panco said this morning. “She told him to leave and actually he did, there was no argument about it.” The woman, in her early 20s, had otherwise been alone in the house, Panco said. She thought she may have left a door unlocked, he said. Police this morning were in the process of completing interviews; she believed it may have been a neighbor, according to Panco. The intruder could face arrest for third-degree rape as he was performing oral sex on her when the woman woke up, according to Panco.

ASSAULT

• Napavine police were called about 4 o’clock this morning to an assault on Camden Way in Napavine. A woman ended up with her estranged boyfriend at her home, after he’d talked her into taking him somewhere, according to Napavine Officer Silas Elwood. They argued and a friend heard her calling for help, Elwood said. Donald C. Johnson, 47, reportedly punched the woman in the face and choked her, Elwood said. Johnson was booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree assault, Elwood said. He also was found to be in possession of a small amount of marijuana, according to Elwood.

• Centralia police arrested a 40-year-old Centralia man at his home yesterday morning for second-degree assault. Officers were called yesterday about an incident that had occurred there on Hunt Street about two days earlier, according to police. Steven A. Maggard’s wife told an officer they were arguing and when she turned her back, he hit her with something on the top of the head and also choked her, Centralia Officer John Panco said this morning. Maggard was booked into the Lewis County Jail, Panco said.

THEFT

• Napavine police are investigating repeated instances of the theft of metal from a business near Interstate 5 exit 71. Officer-in-charge Silas Elwood said someone has been taking copper wiring and other pieces of metal off heavy equipment there. The victims began noticing the thefts a few months ago, but only told police in recent weeks, he said.

• Centralia officers arrested a 34-year-old Tenino man they pulled over in a stolen vehicle on the 1200 block of Mellen Street about 1:20 a.m. today, according to police. Kenneth D. Nelson was booked into the Lewis County jail for possession of methamphetamine and a stolen vehicle, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning a deputy took a report of a Stihl chainsaw, model 38, stolen from an unsecured shop at the 2000 block of Cispus Road outside Randle. It happened at the Cispus Learning Center sometime between July 1 and last Wednesday, according to the sheriff’s office. The loss is approximately $400, according to the sheriff’s office.

DRUGS

• A 40-year-old woman from Mountain View, Calif. was arrested yesterday evening for possession of methamphetamine and a Marysville, Wash. warrant after contact with a Centralia police officer on the 1200 block of Mellen Street, according to police. Lora L. Gagnon was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

FLOCK BLOCKS ROAD IN CHEHALIS

• Chehalis police were called, again, about a herd of sheep in the roadway just before 7 a.m. today on Southwest Riverside Drive. Deputy Chief Randy Kaut said the owner was contacted, and as far as he knew, rounded up the animals and returned them to their home.

Benefit this Thursday evening for firefighter’s daughter’s big wish

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Seventeen-year-old Nicole Beck, daughter of Chehalis Fire Department Capt. Casey Beck and Jan Beck, earlier this year was awarded a “wish” from the Make-a-Wish foundation, and instead of using it for herself, she’s sort of giving it away.

Nicole won a spot on the tennis team at W.F. West High School only to spend much of the season at Seattle Children’s’ Hospital undergoing chemotherapy for a cancer discovered in February.

2011.0712.nicolebeckShe is using the money from the foundation to upgrade the tennis courts at school; with plans for new lighting, fences, nets, benches and resurfacing of all six courts, according to her supporters.

Sixty-thousand dollars has been raised so far for the $80,000 project, according to her dad.

A benefit will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday night – with music by local performer Chris Guenther – at the Riverside Golf Club. A $10 steak dinner is on the menu.

Work on the courts will begin with volunteer labor and is expected to be done in time for the coming school year, Casey Beck said today.

Nicole, who will be a senior next year, plans to attend the benefit, he said.

“We didn’t know if we were going to do it (the benefit) cause Nicole wasn’t feeling good last week,” he said this afternoon. “But she got better unexpectedly.”

Today, she was helping out with tennis camp at the high school, he said.

The prognosis for the growth – called Rhabdomyosarcoma – not coming back is really good, he said.

The golf course is at 1451 NW Airport Road, Chehalis

Casey Beck adds that anyone interested in helping him tear out the old courts should call him at 360-520-0816.

Donations for the cause can also be to Nikki’s Wish at Wells Fargo Bank.

Read more about her story at www.caringbridge.org/visit/nicolebeck

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

WOMAN CRASHES ON ATV

• A 70-year-old woman was injured yesterday when an ATV she was riding rolled over on the 100 block of Avery Road East south of Chehalis, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies called to the scene about 4:30 p.m. reported the woman was hospitalized, but not with life-threatening injuries.

MAN WRECKS ON  BRIDGE

• Part of North Pearl Street in Centralia was closed for nearly an hour yesterday afternoon after a small pickup truck hit the bridge over the Skookumchuck River and rolled over. Firefighters called about 4:50 p.m. had to cut the roof off the vehicle to get the adult male driver out, according to Riverside Fire Authority Ca[t. Scott Snyder. He was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital with what were described as minor injuries to his face. Centralia police are investigating whether he was driving under the influence.

WOMAN CRASHES ON MOTORCYCLE

• A 52-year-old woman was taken to Morton General Hospital late yesterday afternoon after she crashed her motorcycle along U.S. Highway 12 east of Packwood. Troopers called about 5:50 p.m. reported Terri L. Kiehl, of Yakima, was headed eastbound when she failed to negotiate a left-hand curve and her motorcycle traveled down an embankment running into some brush and a downed tree. Kiehl suffered injuries to her back, throat and an ankle, according to the Washington State Patrol. Her 1986 Honda VT1100 was described as totaled. The investigating trooper noted she was driving too fast.

THEFT

• A deputy was called yesterday about the theft of parts of a tent stolen from behind Fischer’s Market in Randle. The loss is estimated at $1,250, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Missing are five panels each measuring eight feet tall by 20 feet long, according to the sheriff’s office. The custom-made panels are white with orange and yellow stripes and vanished sometime since June 30,  Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

• Centralia police were called yesterday morning about the theft of a guitar from a vehicle on the 2500 block of Ford Prairie Avenue.

Deal in Salkum homicides: McCarthy to plead to second-degree assault

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

This news story was updated at 8:05 p.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The deal between prosecutors and one of the men charged in last summer’s triple homicide near Salkum is that he will plead guilty to two counts of second-degree assault, according to his attorney.

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Ryan J. McCarthy

Rick Cordes, the lawyer for 29-year-old Ryan J. McCarthy, said yesterday his client is set to plead guilty at 1 p.m. on Thursday.

Cordes said he didn’t feel comfortable commenting on any details of the plea agreement before the hearing.

McCarthy was charged with murder as well as attempted extortion in connection with the Aug. 21 deaths of David West Sr. 52, his son David West Jr., 16, and a friend Tony E. Williams, 50, of Randle.

McCarthy’s former cell mate, John A. Booth Jr. is scheduled for a November trial in the case; also charged with murder.

Booth, 32, is charged with  first degree murder of David Jr. and Williams; second-degree murder of West Sr. and attempted murder of Denise Salts, as well as attempted extortion and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Lewis County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher said last week he would not discuss the details or what if anything either side offered in exchange.

Meagher did say he Cordes have agreed upon the amount of time they will recommend to the judge that McCarthy serve.

Charging documents in the case don’t offer much detail as to who fired shots that night.

A man who told deputies he saw West Sr. point a shotgun at Booth and tell the two men to leave, said he then heard gunshots though he could not tell who was firing, and he ran into a bathroom and hid, according to charging documents.

The charging documents say Salts told detectives when she heard gunshots, she ran in through the back door, was shot in the face, fell to the floor and heard other gunshots.

McCarthy’s attorney said in September after his client’s arraignment, he didn’t think there was enough to have charged McCarthy, as “mere presence at a crime isn’t enough.”

Second-degree assault is a class B felony with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

Among McCarthy’s seven prior felony convictions are one for residential burglary and two for drugs.
•••

Read background on the case:

• “West Sr. pointed shotgun telling pair of ex-cons to leave his house, triggering triple homicide, unsealed court documents allege” from Saturday Sept. 4, 2010, here

• “Unsealed document: More details on Salkum slayings” from Monday Sept. 6, 2010, here

Suspect in park restroom attack arrested again

Monday, July 11th, 2011

This news story was updated at 5:42 p.m.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Bail was set at $250,000 today for a 22-year-old Morton resident arrested after an 8-year-old boy said he was accosted inside a stall in a public restroom at a Castle Rock ball field.

Steven R. Moulton was booked into jail after the Saturday incident during a baseball tournament for boys 12 and under, according to the Castle Rock Police Department.

An individual heard something going on and beat on the door until it opened up, Castle Rock Acting Sgt. Jeff Gann said today.

“The victim reported he was touched and strangled by the suspect as well as bit,” Gann said.

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Steven R. Moulton, Lewis County Superior Court in December 2010

Moulton has been free on a  $25,000 signature bond since late last year, accused of a similar assault in Lewis County.

He was charged in November for allegedly crawling under the closed door of an occupied bathroom stall in a Morton park, where the screaming of another 8-year-old boy drew the attention of the child’s grandfather and then police.

Attorneys in that case are still awaiting a competency evaluation from Western State Hospital.

Moulton has not yet been arraigned in the Lewis County case. He has not yet been charged in the Cowlitz County incident.

Cowlitz County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Michelle Shaffer said this afternoon they expect to make a charging decision by the end of the day on Wednesday.

Moulton went before a judge in Cowlitz County today who found probable cause to hold him and appointed an attorney to represent him, she said.

If charged, he is scheduled to be arraigned on July 19, according to Shaffer.

Moulton was summoned to Lewis County Superior Court last November after being charged with a June incident that allegedly occurred in Gust Backstrom Park in Morton.

The child in that case told authorities Moulton covered his mouth with his hand and punched him twice in the face.

Moulton denied hitting the boy, and told police “he could see someone was in the locked stall, but he had to go to the bathroom,” according to charging documents.

His Centralia defense attorney told a judge his client had previously been found not competent due to a developmental disability.

The Lewis County Prosecutors Office charged Moulton with burglary; for unlawfully entering or remaining in a building with the intent to commit a crime.

Deputy Prosecutor Shane O’Rourke – who took over the case from another prosecutor – today said for “whatever reason” it takes Western State a long time to do their evaluations on out-of-custody individuals.

“It just seems like that would be way more than enough time,” he said.

Moulton is expected to go back in front of a Lewis County judge on July 21 to check on the status of the competency review, O’Rourke said.

On Saturday, Moulton was taken to the North County Youth Recreation Complex in Castle Rock by an adult family friend who was keeping an eye on him while his parents were out of town, Castle Rock Sgt. Gann said.

Gann said he couldn’t talk a lot about the incident, because it involves a child and is still an active investigation.

An individual who walked into the men’s room at the park heard what was going on and hollered for someone to call police, Gann said.

An off-duty state patrol detective and an off duty Longview firefighter were at the park and responded, he said.

The boy had minor injuries, which were treated at the scene by the fire department, he said.

Castle Rock police arrested Moulton for second-degree assault of a child, unlawful imprisonment and child molestation, Gann said.

Moulton is also facing charges in Lewis County of threat to bomb for allegedly last November leaving a voice message at Morton Junior High School saying “I’m going to burn the school down, bye”, according to O’Rourke.
•••

Read background:

” ‘Developmental delays’ may put alleged attack in Morton park restroom case on hold” from Friday Nov. 26, 2010, here

“News brief: Developmental disability issue to be examined in alleged park restroom attack case ” from Thursday Dec. 2, 2010, here

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Monday, July 11th, 2011

MAN’S “BEST FRIEND” LEADS POLICE TO THEFT SUSPECT

• A suspect’s dog left behind at a burglary in Centralia yesterday led to the arrest of a 19-year-old man, the Centralia Police Department said this morning. Police were called yesterday morning to three different incidents on the 1400 block of Jensen Avenue. In one case, someone entered a house and a garage and took two GPS devices, a wallet, a checkbook and a garage door opener, according to police. Two other garages and sheds in the same area were burglarized, with items such as a chainsaw and a pressure washer among the stolen goods, according to police. One of the victims told an officer a Pit Bull sitting in his yard did not belong to him, according to Officer John Panco. The officer recognized the pet as a dog seen earlier being walked down the street – with a rope around its neck – by Raymond C. Rhodes, 19, of Chehalis, according to Panco. Later in the day, police contacted Rhode at an undisclosed Centralia address where they served a search warrant and recovered some of the stolen goods, according to police. Rhodes was booked into the Lewis County Jail for residential burglary.

TALL TALE LEADS TO ARREST

• A man who was apparently impatient about getting law enforcement to respond to fireworks being set off in his driveway in Toledo was arrested for making a false statement after he allegedly told a 911 dispatcher there was a body lying on his property. The call to the 200 block of Boone Road was about 11:20 p.m. on Friday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. When deputies responded, the 31- year-old Toledo resident said he was sorry about saying there was a body, but he, Jeffery D. McGeary, was still arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office.

ASSAULT

• A 41-year-old man was arrested over the weekend for second-degree assault after he allegedly pushed his wife down and choked her at the Rainbow Falls State Park on state Route 6 west of Chehalis. Richard B. King, of Lacey, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

THEFT

• A deputy was called yesterday evening about a burglary on the 800 block of Gore Road in Onalaska in which almost $4,000 of items were stolen. Among the missing goods were a Winchester rifle, a miter saw, a table saw, knives and a jade necklace, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning they took a report of a burglary in Glenoma in which a brush cutter, a generator, a rototiller, a nail gun and other items were stolen. It happened at the 100 block of Wright Road sometime between last Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown.

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office took a report at mid-day yesterday of a theft from the 700 block of Leudinghaus Road west of Chehalis. Somebody took a wood stove, six radiators, the fuel tanks from three vehicles and copper wire as well as other items, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown. It happened sometime on Saturday or Sunday, Brown said.

• Centralia police were called about 9:15 a.m. yesterday about a burglary on the 1300 block of West Main Street. Missing were prescription medications and cash, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A deputy was called on Saturday to a residential burglary on the 100 block of Dorning Road outside Winlock. A woman had been making repairs at the house and when she left as unable to secure the house; and when she returned she discovered several items missing such as knives and German beer steins, according to Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown.

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning a deputy was called Friday night to a burglary on the 2800 block of Little Hanaford Road outside Centralia. Missing were two fishing poles and vice grips, according to the sheriff’s office.

VEHICLE PROWLS

• A deputy was called yesterday afternoon about windows to an RV being broken out on the 1100 block of U.S. Highway 12 in Packwood.

• Centralia police took two reports about 9 a.m. yesterday of vehicle prowls that occurred sometime in the night at the 1300 block of Belmont Avenue.

• Chehalis police were called about 10:45 a.m. yesterday to a car prowl on the 300 block of Southwest Eighth Street. The window of the vehicle had been smashed out, according to police.

• Chehalis police were called about 6 p.m. on Friday about a car prowl in the Wal-Mart parking lot on the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue. Tools were taken, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

BAD BILL?

• Chehalis police were called on Friday evening to a business in the Twin City Town Center about a fake $2 bill they had received. Deputy Police Chief Rand Kaut said he hasn’t seen it yet, but people don’t usually make counterfeit bills in denominations that small.

TWO ARRESTED AFTER CHEHALIS RUCKUS

• Two people were arrested about 2 a.m. on Sunday for disorderly conduct on the 300 block of Northwest Chehalis Avenue in Chehalis. A passing officer saw an individual jump out of a vehicle and try to hit a man standing on the sidewalk, and then a woman went up to the assailant and tried to hit him, Deputy Police Chief Randy Kaut said. Arrested were Faleesha G. Reynolds, 22, of Centralia and Marc T. Vetters, 23, of Onalaska, according to Kaut. They were then released.

MOTORCYCLE WRECKS

• A Chehalis man in his 20s was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital yesterday after his motorcycle ran into the back of a car on Interstate 5 just south of the Main Street interchange in Chehalis yesterday. The Chehalis Fire Department called just before 3 p.m. said it appeared he had an injury to his shoulder or collarbone.

• A 53-year-old Chehalis man was hospitalized on Saturday after he wrecked his motorcycle trying to avoid an approaching train at the 700 block of Twin Oaks Road west of Chehalis. A deputy was called about 5:30 p.m. to the Chehalis Steam Train crossing and learned the man had locked up his brakes, laid his bike down and was ejected. The man, whose name was not released, suffered scrapes and an injury to his ankle, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

Not crime: Just goats visiting Chehalis

Sunday, July 10th, 2011
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One of Donna Smith's goats pauses for a snapshot on Sunday along Rice Road.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter


CHEHALIS – Not crime.

Just a herd of goats from their home in Ethel spending the weekend on some property outside Chehalis that needed blackberry vines and other brush cleared.

Donna Smith of Double Trouble Ranch brought more than 60 of her animals, old and young, big and small, on Saturday to browse along Rice Road.

Each one can eat up to eight pounds of foliage a day.

She calls them her “Baaad girls”.

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Part of Donna Smith's herd make themselves at home on a weekend visit to Chehalis.

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