News brief: Cigarette suspected in Grand Mound wrecking yard fire

September 12th, 2011
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Brush, vehicles and a mobile home burned today in Grand Mound / Courtesy photo by Lanette Dyer

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A fire at a Grand Mound wrecking yard today spread to five acres and destroyed three vehicles as well as an unoccupied mobile home.

The cause is under investigation, but it ignited soon after a customer smoking a cigarette left the area, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority.

Firefighters called about 2:15 p.m. to the scene at 183rd Avenue Southwest and Case Road were joined by three neighboring departments as the wind kicked up, Fire Lt. Lanette Dyer said.

Some 20 firefighters were assisted by others from the Department of Natural Resources who brought a 10-person hand crew from Cedar Creek Corrections Center, Dyer said.

The flames were stopped right at a fence line where nine horses were pastured, she said. One southbound lane of Interstate 5 near milepost 90 was shut down for about an hour as some fire apparatus had to access it from the freeway.

They got it under control just after 3:30 p.m.

Dyer repeated what others in the fire service have been saying for the past week:

“The ground is real dry, we have real low humidity, and at this point, it’s the perfect conditions for huge fires,” she said.

Today’s fire at Newton’s Wrecking Yard burned a mobile home used for storage of items including family heirlooms and three of the business’s vehicles before creeping under the fence and consuming about two and a half acres of brush and trees, according to Dyer.

Nobody was injured.

It was just last Wednesday on the opposite side of Interstate 5 where nearly five acres of scotch broom were ignited by a spark from a lawn mower.

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

September 12th, 2011

RIVER RAFTERS THREATENED BY GUN-WIELDING WOMAN

• A Chehalis woman who fired shots from a .38 caliber pistol because she was upset at several individuals floating down the Newaukum River was arrested yesterday afternoon. Deputies called about 5 p.m. to the 700 block of state Route 508 learned the rafters had left from the Guerrier Road bridge and were cussed at by Denise R. Snell, 52, of Chehalis, who was angry about people using the river and leaving garbage, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning. Snell reportedly stood on the shore and threw rocks at the subjects, pointed the gun at them and then fired twice into a nearby field, according to the sheriff’s office. Snell was booked into the Lewis County Jail for felony harassment, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said.

DRIVER FLEES POLICE, GETS TASED

• A police pursuit just after midnight on Saturday from Napavine, up Interstate 5 and into Centralia ended with a 47-year-old man arrested for first and third-degree assaults. The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said the driver nearly struck a Centralia officer and narrowly missed a parked patrol car before stopping at the Pepper Tree Motel and fleeing on foot. The driver also allegedly kept slamming on his brakes trying to get a pursuing officer to rear-end his vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office. Officers used a Taser on the subject as he fought with several officers, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown said. Manuel E. Bolivar, 47, of Centralia, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to Brown. Bolivar was wanted for a warrant, Brown said.

THEFT

• Chehalis police were called about 12:30 a.m. on Saturday to the 1000 block of Southwest Cascade Avenue about a burglary in which jewelry and a video camera were missing.

• Chehalis police were called about 10:20 a.m. on Saturday after a pressure washer and tools were taken from a garage on the 100 block of Southwest First Street.

• Centralia police took two reports yesterday of computers stolen; one from the 1600 block of North Schueber Road and the other from a vehicle on the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue.

• A 24-year-old was arrested for possession of stolen property, trespassing and warrants on Saturday morning after a deputy was called to the 300 block of Kirkland Road outside Chehalis. A chainsaw found in the back of a vehicle was stolen, although David J. Eslick said he had bought it, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Eslick was booked into the Lewis County Jail and his companion, Rainy N. Hepburn, 29, was booked for trespassing, according to the sheriff’s office.

• A burglary to a garage on the 700 block of Shoen Road in Salkum was reported on Saturday, in which a motorcycle, two table saws, a new in-the-box Craftsman router, a generator and other items were stolen. It happened sometime between Aug. 10 and Saturday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The loss is estimated at $2,700.

• A 25-year-old Chehalis man reported he was out $2,850 after he tried to buy a vehicle on the Internet off Craigslist and twice wired money to the the supposed seller in Madrid, Spain, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported this morning. The vehicle was supposedly in Auburn, but after he sent the money via Western Union, the buyer didn’t ever get the vehicle, a deputy was told on Friday.

• A 1991 Lexus 400 was stolen Friday from the 6000 block of state Route 7 in Morton, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The vehicle has a license plate of 054 TQB, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• Somebody got into the glove compartment of a vehicle parked near the Rails to Trails area on the 200 block of Highway 603 in Chehalis and stole a cell phone, and then apparently used it to post items on the victim’s Facebook page, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The theft occurred sometime between 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, according to the sheriff’s office.

VANDALISM

• Somebody shoved the metal bleachers into the Pearl Street Pool in Centralia. The “kid prank” was discovered yesterday, according to Centralia police.

BARN BURNS NEAR MORTON

• An ember from a burn barrel charred about an acre of grass and ignited a barn yesterday yesterday in Morton. Firefighters called about 2:30 p.m. to the 800 block of Davis Lake Road extinguished the blaze but the building was destroyed, according to Fire Investigator Ted McCarty. A burn ban is still in place, McCarty said.

9-11 Remembrance, Southwest Washington Fairgrounds

September 11th, 2011
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Sept. 11, 2011

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

“My question has always been, then, to myself, where do we get the men and women who do that?”

– Guest speaker Earl Johnson, of Poulsbo, telling of meeting New York City firefighters coming up the stairs into the World Trade Center as he and others descended after a passenger plane had crashed into the building on Sept. 11, 2001

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Photo by Bradd Reynolds / Copies of this image may be ordered from Reynoldsportraits@comcast.net

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Photo by Bradd Reynolds / Copies of this image may be ordered from Reynoldsportraits@comcast.net

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

September 11th, 2011

BARN FIRE KILLS COW, CALF

• A calf and a cow perished when a barn went up in flames overnight in Dryad. Firefighters called about 1:15 a.m. to Leudinghaus Road found the building fully engulfed in fire, Lewis County Fire District 16 Chief Greg Feuchter said this morning. About 500 bales of dry hay had been put in the barn about a month ago, Feuchter said. Some 20 firefighters spent hours trying to make sure all the burning material was extinguished, he said. The cause is unknown, he said. There were no other casualties.

THEFT

• Police were called to the 900 block of B Street in Centralia just before 9 p.m. yesterday where a burglary was discovered. Someone had gone into the house from a second floor window and stole a rifle and other items, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Somebody forced open a back door on the 100 block of West First Street in Centralia and stole a video game, shoes and food, according to a report made to police about 2 p.m. yesterday.

• A 27-inch television, a Blu-ray player and DVDs were missing after a break-in at the 400 block of Courtland Street in Centralia. It was reported about 1:45 p.m. yesterday to the Centralia Police Department.

• Power tools and a metal pumpkin were stolen from the back of a pickup truck at the 1500 block of Lum Road in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 8:30 a.m. yesterday.

DRUGS

• Centralia police reported a 43-year-old man had to be subdued when he resisted arrest at the 500 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia on Friday afternoon. Dwayne J. Thomas, listed as transient, was booked into the Lewis County Jail for a warrant and possession of methamphetamine, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police took a report about 3:30 a.m. yesterday of a window smashed out of a vehicle on the 1100 block of South Tower Avenue.

ROLLER DERBY CASUALTY

• A roller derby event in Centralia was interrupted last night when 40-year-old female was taken away with a broken collar bone. Aid called about 8:30 p.m. to the Rollerdrome on West Maple Street transported the woman to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to Riverside Fire Authority.

News brief: 9-11 anniversary events in Littlerock, Southwest Washington Fairgrounds

September 10th, 2011
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West Thurston Regional Fire Authority prepares for Sunday morning remembrance of 9-11 / Courtesy photo

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Three hundred forty-three American flags will provide a back drop for a ceremony tomorrow morning in Littlerock honoring the firefighters and law enforcement officers who lost their lives 10 years ago responding to terrorist attacks.

West Thurston Regional Fire Authority is hosting the event in remembrance of all who died that day.

The time is 8:30 a.m. The place is the Littlerock fire station at 10828 Littlerock Road SW, Olympia.

Also tomorrow a remembrance ceremony on the 10th anniversary of the events of Sept. 11, 2001 will be held at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds.

Gates open at 11:30 a.m. The 1 p.m. program is being organized by the Lewis County Fallen Heroes Committee and United Way.

The event at the fairgrounds is a benefit for the Fallen Heroes fund, a fund that assists the families of fallen heroes in Lewis County and throughout the state.

Deputies on the prowl for locked, unlocked cars

September 9th, 2011
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Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown looks in a car at the Toledo park and ride to see if any valuables are laying in plain view.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – When you take advantage of the sunshine this weekend to leave your car behind and put the boat in the water or go for a walk on a public trail, you might return to find you’ve been the victim of a vehicle prowl.

Or not.

It’s also possible you’ll discover a green postcard-sized note on your windshield indicating someone has checked to see if your doors were locked.

Lewis County sheriff’s deputies and volunteers will be providing extra patrolling around places where most car break-ins have been reported.

Trail heads and boat launches as well park and rides are among those locations targeted.

Sheriff Steve Mansfield’s new program which began this week involves leaving a card either congratulating the driver for locking up, or reminding them they’ve left themselves vulnerable to a theft.

The idea is to encourage folks to lock their doors every time they park. A lot of this kind of crime is easily preventable, according to the sheriff’s office.

Today, Chief Civil Deputy Stacy Brown was out and about, trying to get a sense of what’s out there.

At the Blue Creek Boat Launch parking lot off Spencer Road south of Ethel, she peered into nine vehicles and checked their doors.

All but one were locked, although a fishing pole lay visible on the back seat of one of them.

Thieves will go to the trouble of breaking a window even for something like a fishing pole, Brown said.

More and more, they’re seeing people leave devices like iPods, GPS units and cell phones in plain view inside their cars, she said.

“I think my biggest hope is thieves will come in the area and see these (green cards) and know we’re actually working the area,” she said.

One location with more problems than most is the  Rails to Trails parking area off Highway 603, south of state Route 6, according to Brown.

“Almost all the car prowls we’ve had (there) have been unlocked,” Brown said. “Only a couple of them we had windows broken.”

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Chief Brown leaves a card on a vehicle at the Blue Creek Boat Launch notifying the driver the area was checked and congratulating them for locking their doors.

Randle man who tied up teenage girl pleads guilty

September 9th, 2011

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A Randle man who says he was just trying to keep a 16-year-old girl away from drugs when he bound her hands with electrical tape has been sentenced to eight months in jail.

Jeffrey S. Plaas, 45, pleaded guilty this week to unlawful imprisonment and fourth-degree assault, domestic violence. He denied the teenager was his girlfriend or had ever been.

“My client’s motivation behind this was genuine, he has a close friend who happened to be getting into the drug scene,” defense attorney Jacob Clark told a judge on Wednesday. “His actions behind his motivation was unquestionably wrong, and I think he understands that.”

Plaas was arrested early last month after deputies responded to a call about a dispute between a male and a female behind a cafe in Randle. Deputies were told the male had slapped the female, and the pair were thought to have walked to the area of McKay Street.

Deputies hearing screaming and shouting from Plaas’s open garage found the teenage girl with a bloody nose and her hands tied behind her back; she said Plaas was her boyfriend, according to authorities.

Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead on Wednesday morning recommended Plaas spend six months in jail; the standard sentencing range for the offense is three to eight months.

Plaas told Lewis County Superior Court Judge James Lawler he was sorry for the way he went about it.

Lawler called it an egregious act and chose eight months in jail with a year on community custody after he is released.
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Read background on the case here