Posts Tagged ‘news reporter’

Morton police investigate “present of dead kittens”

Wednesday, September 6th, 2017

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 20-year-old Morton resident is charged for his role in allegedly leaving a taped-shut box of kittens in the yard of his 15-year-old companion’s ex-girlfriend and sending taunting social media messages.

The little cats were inside a cardboard diaper box, with no air holes or water on a very hot day, and placed in a location where they would not be easy to find, according to authorities.

An adult who discovered them told the Morton Police Department the felines appeared dehydrated, sick and hungry, court documents relate.

The two suspects allegedly told the 15-year-old girl via an audio Facebook message, there was a present of dead kittens waiting for her.

Brandon M. McIntyre, 20, of Morton, was arrested on Saturday and was  brought before a judge on yesterday afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court. The 15-year-old boy’s case is being handled in Lewis County Juvenile Court.

When McIntyre’s bail was discussed, Lewis County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher called the case alarming. Judge Joely O’Rourke called the allegations extremely alarming and agreed to the recommendation of $10,000.

Charging documents state the incident occurred on June 23 and 24 and came to the attention of police from a girl who learned about it on Facebook. A Morton police officer began investigating at the end of July and interviewed those involved, according to the documents.

The 15-year-old girl said the two suspects did it to get back at her for breaking up with her boyfriend, the younger of the two suspects.

When the adult confronted the boy about it on Facebook, he allegedly denied involvement but made several threats, including “I hope you die,” charging documents allege.

The audio Facebook message between the suspects and the 15-year-old girl allegedly include calling her vulgar names and also McIntyre threatening to “put a hit out” on the adult.

The adult and the girl reside in the same home where the kittens were found, though its location in Morton, or Mossyrock, is not mentioned. Charging documents don’t offer any update as to the kittens’ conditions.

McIntyre’s arraignment is scheduled for tomorrow in Lewis County Superior Court. He is charged with one count of first-degree animal cruelty and one count of cyberstalking.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Wednesday, September 6th, 2017
2015.0518.2013.1113.sirenslights5860.secondone

•••

Updated

AUTO THEFT

• Centralia police were called about 4:30 p.m. yesterday regarding a car stolen from the 1100 block of South Tower Avenue. Missing is a  1999 Nissan Altima, according to the Centralia Police Department. Police have a suspect.

OTHER THEFT

• Chehalis police were called to the 200 block of Southwest 16th Street about 5:40 p.m. yesterday where a worm drive skill saw had been stolen out of an unlocked garage in previous days. It was black and red and almost new, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Chehalis police were called yesterday afternoon to the 2100 block of North National Avenue to take a report that a Penske tow dolly had been stolen. It is silver with gray fenders, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• A red delivery shopping cart was reported stolen about 3:15 p.m. yesterday from the 1000 block of Belmont Avenue in Centralia, according to the Centralia Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• Centralia police were called at 5:20 a.m. today to the 900 block of South Scheuber Road where someone had cut a fuel line and siphoned gas from a vehicle.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• Officers were called about 9:20 p.m. yesterday about an assault at the 1200 block of Mellen Street in Centralia which led to one vehicle chasing another and a hit and run collision, according to the Centralia Police Department.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• A 25-year-old Centralia man was charged yesterday in Lewis County Superior Court with allegedly having sex with a 15-year-old neighbor girl. Lewis County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher was surprised the suspect was not in the courtroom yesterday afternoon, saying he had been in the jail over the weekend on another matter, and Meagher had asked an officer to book him that morning. According to charging documents, the girl’s mother contacted the sheriff’s office on Thursday and deputies interviewed the mother, the teen and the suspect. The deputies learned the suspect had recently moved in and the mom began to see her daughter hanging out in front of his house smoking cigarettes. The girl allegedly said that earlier in the week, he made advances, convinced her to go with him and the two had sex, according to charging documents. It wasn’t clear at the end of the court hearing when the suspect would appear in court to face the charge, of third-degree rape of a child.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for drugs, warrants, hit and run, reckless driving, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, vandalism, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances, misdemeanor assault, unfounded report … and more among 195 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

Tuesday, September 5th, 2017
2015.0518.2013.1113.sirenslights5860.secondone

•••

Updated

ASSAULT

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reports this morning they are looking for a 52-year-old Tacoma man who got into a physical altercation with a woman in their vehicle at the flea market in Packwood on Saturday afternoon, but fled on foot when passersby heard what was happening and approached the vehicle. The suspect allegedly had said he was going to take her into the woods and kill her and then tried to drag her out of the vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office. The woman had minor injuries, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said.

• Chehalis police are investigating a possible assault after being contacted about 5:20 a.m. on Sunday regarding a woman with a head injury at the hospital.

BREAK-IN CHEHALIS

• Chehalis police were called just before 10:30 a.m. yesterday to a marijuana store at the 1100 block of Northwest State Avenue for a burglary. They don’t know yet what was taken, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

VEHICLE THEFT

• Chehalis police were contacted just before 7 a.m. on Saturday by an individual who said he found his vehicle which had been stolen a month or so earlier.

• Someone stole a green 2009 Kawasaki dirt bike from a garage at the 300 block of Southwest Eighth Street in Chehalis, according to a report made to police just after 9 a.m. on Friday. The model is KLX 140L, the bike has Monster Energy drink stickers on it, and a bent rear fender, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Chehalis police were called at 8:40 a.m. on Friday to take a report that a business’s truck had been stolen during the night from the 200 block of Northwest Quincy Place. It was later recovered in Pierce County, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

SHOPLIFTING

• Centralia police were called just before 11 a.m. yesterday after a male allegedly stole 12 bottles of liquor from a store at the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue. The items were recovered when he was confronted by employees, according to the Centralia Police Department. It appears no arrest was made.

• Centralia police were called about 1:05 p.m. on Sunday after a female allegedly stole items from a store at the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue and as she was leaving struck another vehicle and nearly struck pedestrians. Nobody was hurt, according to the Centralia Police Department. The vehicle was later located at the suspect’s residence and was seized as evidence, according to police.

OTHER THEFT

• Centralia police were called about 4:35 p.m. yesterday to Borst Park where an individual said that while she and her family floated the river, their vehicle parked near the boat launch was prowled. A window was broken out and a small purse stolen, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A 58-year-old Centralia man was arrested after police were called about 2:35 p.m. yesterday about a person passing a counterfeit $10 bill in the pharmacy area at a store on the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue. Charles E. Wiegard was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Chehalis Police Department. He was released after prosecutors today declined to file the felony charge.

• Chehalis police were called about noon on Sunday about a purse taken while a woman was unloading groceries in a parking lot at the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue.

• Centralia police took a report from the 1000 block of Belmont Avenue on Saturday regarding a purse stolen the day before.

• Centralia police were called to the 2000 block of Ahlers Avenue in Centralia at about 7:15 p.m. on Sunday to take a report that a set of 34-inch tires and Weld wheels had been stolen.

DRUGS

• A Winlock resident arrested on an outstanding warrant just before 1 o’clock this morning at the 800 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia was also arrested for possession of methamphetamine. Joshua A.P. Leblanc, 34, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A 54-year-old man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine after being contacted by officers called to the park at the 2000 block of Borst Avenue about 4:25 p.m. yesterday about a dispute. William Sacks Jr., a homeless person, was contacted in a portable bathroom in which an item or items containing suspected meth was located, according to the Centralia Police Department. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police. Prosecutors today declined to file the criminal charge.

• A 25-year-old Randle woman contacted about 4 p.m. yesterday at a shopping center at the 9700 block of U.S. Highway 12 was arrested and then when she was searched, a deputy allegedly found a small bag of a crystal substance, multiple syringes and then sour cream, pizza bites and a Mountain Dew she said she hadn’t paid for, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Maranda Griffith was booked into the Lewis County Jail for possession of methamphetamine and charges related to paraphernalia and third-degree theft were going to be referred to prosecutors, according to the sheriff’s office. Prosecutors today declined to file the felony charge pending further investigation.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police took a report on Sunday afternoon of air being let out of tires in the area of the 1000 block of West Walnut Street.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, failure to transfer title, third-degree theft, public urination, protection order violation, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, shoplifting, trespassing, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances, noisy neighbor music, dogs alone in parked vehicle, helping people put out their campfire … and more among lots of calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 72-hour period ending about 7 a.m.

Another indoor marijuana nursery busted

Sunday, September 3rd, 2017
2017.0901.michelle.toso.marijuana9687

Michelle R. Toso, left, appears before a judge in Lewis County Superior Court

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Deputies found 60 to 70 mature marijuana plants when they served a search warrant at a Salkum home with boarded up windows and arrested a woman there who said she was paid to come by weekly to tend to the indoor garden.

Michelle R. Toso, 27, of Rochester, allegedly told Lewis County sheriff’s deputies she knew it was illegal, but she needed a job and the money.  She reportedly earned as much as $900 a month to water and care for the plants.

Toso was arrested on Thursday and brought before a judge on Friday in Lewis County Superior Court. She was charged with one count of manufacture of marijuana.

Charging documents in the case state the location where the search warrant was served on Thursday is 27763 U.S. Highway 12, Salkum, an address that does not appear to exist, according to Lewis County property records.

Three deputies who contacted Toso that day indicate they saw plants in two rooms, growing lights, fans and also several large black garbage bags containing processed marijuana.

It was just the week before when  Lewis County sheriff’s deputies visited a family home on the 3300 block of Jackson Highway south of Chehalis and found 500 marijuana plants in the garage and  775 starter plants in another room. A 52-year-old man who said they’d just moved in a few weeks earlier was arrested and is facing the same charge.

Sheriff’s deputies are also investigating after five small marijuana gardens were discovered in the woods off Forest Service Road 25 south of Randle last week.

Manufacture of marijuana is a class C felony, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison and/or a fine of $10,000.

Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Joel DeFazio on Friday asked that Toso be allowed release on a $10,000 unsecured bond, telling the judge he could find no criminal history for her in this state. Judge Joely O’Rourke agreed.

Her father who was in the courtroom told temporary defense attorney Rachael Tiller they had retained a Seattle lawyer. Toso’s arraignment is scheduled for Thursday.

News brief: Fire breaks out at Centralia home

Sunday, September 3rd, 2017
2017.0903.harrisonfire.isaac.alexander

Flames and smoke rise off Harrison Avenue. / Courtesy photo by Isaac Alexander

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A Centralia residence was heavily damaged by fire overnight and while nobody was home at the time, the occupants are displaced, according to Riverside Fire Authority.

Firefighters called about 1 .m. to the 3300 block of Harrison Avenue extinguished fire on the porch and then entered through a back door to continue putting the fire out, according to Fire Capt. Scott Weinert.

A search of the interior confirmed nobody was inside, according to Weinert.

The fire captain estimates the loss of the home at $60,000 and then another $25,000 for its contents. He described it as a single-wide mobile home with wood siding.

The cause is under investigation.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Saturday, September 2nd, 2017
2015.0518.2013.1113.sirenslights5860.secondone

•••

CHEHALIS EATERY CATCHES FIRE

• Firefighters were called just before 4 o’clock this morning after a passerby spotted a fire at Kit Carson restaurant on the 100 block of Southwest Interstate Avenue in Chehalis. It appeared to have started outside in a planting bed next to the concrete front steps, according to the Chehalis Fire Department. The crew was joined by personnel from Lewis County Fire District 6 and Riverside Fire Authority, Capt. Ted McCarty said. The fire spread inside the wall just a little bit before it was extinguished, McCarty said. He estimated $10,000 damage. The business was closed, but peat moss and shrubbery in the flower bed may have been ignited by a cigarette discarded earlier, he said.

CENTRALIA MAN BEAT UP

• A 29-year-old Centralia man was taken to the emergency room yesterday after he was assaulted by two individuals at the 600 block of North Tower Avenue in Centralia, according to police. Officer responding just after 2 p.m. note the victim was punched and kicked. An investigation is ongoing, according to the Centralia Police Department.

THEFT, THEFT, THEFT

• Police were called to the 100 block of West Third Street in Centralia about 1:50 p.m. yesterday to take a report that DVDs had been stolen from the front porch of a home.

• Centralia police were called about 12:15 p.m. yesterday regarding a yellow pressure washer stolen during the night from a yard at the 300 block of N Street.

• Centralia police were called about 10:40 a.m. yesterday to the 600 block of North Tower Avenue where a business reported receiving several bad checks over the course of two years. The case is under investigation, according to the Centralia Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• A 38-year-old Centralia woman was arrested yesterday after allegedly attempting to break into a vehicle at the 900 block of South Scheuber Road in Centralia and fleeing from police around 11:20 a.m.. Jessica R.J. Gladue was subsequently booked into the Lewis County Jail for attempted vehicle prowl and obstructing a law enforcement officer as well as three warrants, according to the Centralia Police Department.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• A 35-year-old Centralia motorist allegedly struck a utility pole at the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue and left the scene last night. Police responding about 9:10 p.m. subsequently arrested Micah C. Mollerstuen for driving under the influence and booked him into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A head-on collision about 8:30 p.m. yesterday at Northwest Louisiana Avenue and Chamber of Commerce Way in Chehalis sent one woman to the hospital with a possible broken wrist, according to the Chehalis Fire Department.

• A two-vehicle collision just before 5 p.m. yesterday on National Avenue in Chehalis sent one person to the hospital with neck pain, according to the Chehalis Fire Department. The other driver was not hurt, according to Fire Capt. Ted McCarty.

• Just as a westbound Chevrolet Tahoe began to make a left turn off of U.S. Highway 12, the motorcycle behind her attempted to pass on the left, injuring the motorcyclist when they collided about halfway between Randle and Packwood. Troopers called just before noon yesterday to the scene at milepost 123 blamed the wreck on improper passing, according to the Washington State Patrol. Robert D. Estep, 56, from Crosby, Texas, was taken to Morton General Hospital, according to the state patrol. His 2008 Honda Goldwing was totaled. The 70-year-old driver of the Tahoe, Patricia L. Brown, from Arlington, was reportedly unhurt. Her sport utility vehicle was able to be driven away from the scene, according to the investigating trooper.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor domestic assault, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, hit and run, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances … and more among 192 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m.

Charges filed, then dismissed against county employees in dog adoption case

Friday, September 1st, 2017

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Charges filed against two Lewis County employees for their alleged roles in adopting out a dog previously deemed dangerous, to a family unaware of its status, were dismissed today.

Lewis County Animal Shelter Manager Amy Hanson and her supervisor Danette York appeared in Lewis County District Court in Chehalis this morning with their attorneys.

2017.0901.amy.hanson.9683

Amy Hanson

The cases were filed by a prosecutor from the Pacific County Prosecutor’s Office.

The women were there for a first appearance and arraignment on two charges, the first a gross misdemeanor related to permitting by criminal negligence a dangerous dog to be outside of a proper enclosure unmuzzled and unrestrained, in violation of Lewis County Code L6.05.090.

The second count was animal at large, a civil infraction.

Judge Wade Samuelson didn’t like the plan the two sides had for settling the case and indicated he didn’t want to be a part of it.

The lawyers asked for a brief recess and when they returned, Pacific County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Eric Weston said he wanted to dismiss the charges without prejudice, meaning they can be re-filed at a later date.

York, director of Lewis County Public Health and Social Services, is represented by attorney Shane O’Rourke. Hanson is represented by Don Blair.

2017.0901.danette.york.9684

Danette York

The situation came to light earlier this year, when a county civil attorney who had been researching potential changes to the code at the request of the humane officer, the health department and the shelter, to prevent the pit bull mix from being euthanized, subsequently learned the dog was no longer at the shelter.

Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer described what happened as the dog’s name was changed, his true nature was hidden and he was adopted out, because there was a feeling he wasn’t really dangerous. He told county commissioners he would ask an outside prosecutor to evaluate the case.

York is the county employee who had classified Tank as a dangerous dog in an administrative hearing, after he and his mother were involved last summer in killing two neighbor goats and biting a pony’s face. The tan and white dog was impounded and held at the shelter.

The same dog, under the name of Hank, was adopted to a Centralia family in January. The family had the dog until May but handed him over when law enforcement came to retrieve him, and are fighting still to keep him from being euthanized.

2017.0901.2017.0531.tankimpoundedjuly2016smaller

Tank, now Hank

The Lewis County Board of Commissioners revised the code in June to allow a chance for a court hearing to save Hank, but Lewis County District Court Judge R.W. Buzzard didn’t buy the presented evidence that it was really the dog’s mother who killed the goats and that the two-year-old canine shows no signs of aggression.

Jann Propp-Estimo, of rural Centralia, her son and grandson have hired a lawyer who is appealing Buzzard’s decision. An order to put the dog down has been put on hold.

This morning in court, as Weston and Blair spoke of what the judge called an informal diversion proposal for the two county employees, Judge Samuelson spoke of the seriousness of the allegations.

Hanson – an exemplary employee of the county for 28 years, according to her attorney – was seated at the defense table.

“I don’t know that she suffered from this, other than she got caught,” Samuelson said. “I’m not going to do this today.”

That’s when the six-minute recess was called, and the deputy prosecutor returned to announce his decision to dismiss the charges.

Propp-Estimo has filed a tort claim with Lewis County, for taking away her family pet.

Her appeal of Judge Buzzard’s decision about Hank’s fate will be heard next week in Grays Harbor County Superior Court.
•••

For background, read “Centralia dog owner secures a temporary stay on death sentence” from Tuesday June 20, 2017, here