Lewis County Sirens.com

Map of Scatter Creek Fire area. / West Thurston Regional Fire Authority

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Crews continue to work to fully extinguish fires in Rochester and are likely to be doing so for at least another 10 days, Thurston County officials said today.

Active fire still exists in the northern part of the Scatter Creek fire and suppression continues there, in the event that began Tuesday afternoon and covered an estimated 485 acres.

A second fire that broke out late yesterday afternoon off Prather Road Southwest in grass, brush and timber was quickly attacked with 45 firefighters, two helicopters and a bulldozer and contained at just under two and half acres, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority.

At one point a home was threatened but fortunately, firefighters were able to prevent flames from reaching the residence and it was not damaged, WTRFA stated last night on its Facebook page.

The blaze on Department of Natural Resources trust land appears to have been started by a downed power line, according to WTRFA.

The overall command post has moved from Rochester High School to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority’s station on Sargent Road. State mobilization resources departed at 6 o’clock this morning, leaving DNR to manage the fires.

The public is asked to use extra caution when driving in the area.

Thurston County officials continue to remind the community that it’s not uncommon to smell and see smoke coming from hot spots and they ask the public to call 911 only if flames are visible.

This will likely continue for several weeks, according to Thurston County Public Information Officer Megan Porter.

While evacuees were allowed to return to their homes by Wednesday, two residences were lost in the Scatter Creek fire, according to Porter.

Also lost was a commercial building on Southwest 183rd Avenue and Loganberry Street, two outbuildings, six pieces of heavy equipment, three semi trailers, two commercial vehicles, two personal vehicles and many utility poles.

A historical cabin and barn were lost as well.

The Miller-Brewer House which was built around 1860 was sited at the southeast corner of the Scatter Creek Wildlife Area. Its address was 17915 Guava St. SW.

It was described as one of Washington’s few remaining territorial settlement-era box (plank) constructed houses, conveying the technology and materials available during the state’s formative period, in a 2007 report prepared for Thurston County and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The building and the Scatter Creek Wildlife Area is owned and managed by WSDFW.

WSDFW yesterday reported it is still assessing damage to the Scatter Creek Wildlife Area, which accounted for 345 acres of the fire’s damage.

The area provides sanctuary for several threatened and endangered wildlife species and is a destination for hiking, birdwatching, dog training and upland bird hunting.

“This fire is truly a tragedy,” Brian Calkins, regional WDFW wildlife manager stated. “We put our heart and soul into restoring this remaining piece of rare native prairie, and we know a lot of people are going to feel this loss as much as we do.”

Thurston County Emergency Management reported the location where Tuesday’s fire began was near Southwest 183rd Avenue, between Guava Street and Case Road.

Crews are expected to be monitoring the areas for any possible lingering fire for the rest of the summer.

Lewis County officials issued a statement late this week reminding the public an outdoor burn ban remains in place, and urged people to use caution if using outdoor power equipment or tools which could produce sparks.

The National Weather Service says a fire weather watch is in effect tomorrow through Tuesday on the west slopes of the central Cascade Mountains, with very hot, dry and unstable conditions forecast.
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For background, read “No injuries, but structures burned in Rochester” from Wednesday August 23, 2017, here

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Miller-Brewer House. / From 2007 report prepared for Thurston County and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Claude E. Royals walks to the defense table in Lewis County Superior Court

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – An evening in Silver Creek with plans for dinner and a threesome ended abruptly when a man allegedly stabbed the guest in the chest because he was masturbating at the kitchen table.

The visitor, a 43-year-old man from Lacey, was listed in critical condition this morning, and the suspect is being held in the Lewis County Jail.

Claude E. Royals, 56, of Silver Creek, was charged in Lewis County Superior Court yesterday with first-degree assault.

Royals was arrested after deputies were called about 9:23 p.m. on Tuesday about a stabbing at the 100 block of Huntting Road.

Law enforcement went both to the home and also to Morton General Hospital, after learning the suspect’s girlfriend was driving the victim there, according to charging documents.

The girlfriend told a deputy she had been home with Royals when the Lacey man arrived. She said the three of them were going to have a sexual encounter and everything seemed to be okay when the friend got there, according to court documents.

Royals was barbecuing some food while the friend took a shower, then the friend sat down at the kitchen table wearing only a towel, she said.

She told the deputy her boyfriend walked over to a roll top desk, picked up a folding knife and opened the blade, then walked over to their guest and stabbed him, charging documents relate.

The girlfriend said the victim stood up, then fell to the ground; she grabbed onto her boyfriend as he continued trying to assault the man and she was eventually able to get the knife, she said.

She and the victim left and drove to the hospital, she said.

The deputies who went to the house spoke with Royals, who allegedly admitted to stabbing the man, saying he did it because the victim was touching himself at the kitchen table, according to charging documents. Royals said he used a fork, not a knife.

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said Royals was offended by the actions of his visitor.

In Lewis County Superior Court yesterday afternoon, Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher asked that Royals be held on $75,000 bail, noting that while the suspect lived locally, he felt there was a community safety issue. Judge James Lawler agreed.

Royals had a third-degree assault case from 2013, Meagher said.

Temporary defense attorney Kevin Nelson told the judge his client’s income from his job at National Frozen Foods put him close to the line in terms of qualifying for court-appointed counsel. Attorney Chris Baum was appointed.

Royals’ arraignment is scheduled for next Thursday.

The victim was flown from Morton to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to the sheriff’s office. Yesterday morning, sheriff’s Chief Deputy Dusty Breen reported the man was in stable condition.

This morning, a spokesperson at Harborview said he was in the intensive care unit, listed in critical condition.
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For background, read “News brief: Man airlifted to Seattle after Silver Creek stabbing” from Wednesday August 23, 2017, here

Hector M. Patino Jr. prepares for his turn before a judge in Lewis County Superior Court

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – An anonymous report of someone growing marijuana at a residence on the 3300 block of Jackson Highway south of Chehalis led to a visit from law enforcement and a man confessing he did have some plants in his garage, but most were dying.

After deputies secured a search warrant, they reportedly found more than 500 plants in the garage and then 775 starter plants in another room in the home.

Hector M. Patino Jr., 52, told deputies he brought the plants with him when the family moved in a few weeks ago, according to court documents. He said his wife and child knew about them, but didn’t tend to them in any way.

Patino was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail after the visit on Tuesday by sheriff’s deputies. He was brought before a judge yesterday afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court, charged with one count of manufacture of marijuana.

Judge James Lawler allowed him release on $10,000 unsecured bail.

According to charging documents in the case, deputies went to the home where they spoke to Patino’s wife, who told them there was no marijuana being grown there and they should wait for her husband.

As they walked back to their vehicles, the deputies smelled the odor of marijuana from the closed garage and heard what sounded like fans running, according to the documents.

When they were able to contact the husband, he allowed them inside to search part of the residence, and subsequently, the rest of the area, according to the allegations.

In a loft area, the deputies saw remnants of potting soil and observed the area appeared to have been cleared out. In the end, deputies located other items as well as the plants, such as several fluorescent lights, fans, filters, thermostats, an electronic pump and bags of potting soil, according to charging documents.

Patino’s arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 31. Manufacture of marijuana is a felony with a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Those in the know are advising now is perhaps not the time to take a lawn mower out into tall dry grass.

The cause of the fire that scorched an estimated 485 acres in Rochester is not yet determined, according to authorities, but south of Ethel, it was a riding mower that sparked a brush fire yesterday afternoon.

Crews were called just before 4:30 p.m. yesterday to the 400 block of Tucker Road where an individual had been cutting grass and started a fire, according to Lewis County Fire District 8.

It got into the edge of some trees and burned about two acres before it was finally extinguished, Fire Chief Duran McDaniel said.

They arrived to find they needed to cross a small wooden bridge to get to the fire and laid out hoses, and got brush trucks from Districts 2, 5 and the state Department of Natural Resources to access the area, according to McDaniel.

About 20 firefighters joined in the effort and all but DNR were able to leave by about 7 p.m., he said.

The wind was blowing in a direction away from a home on the property, according to McDaniel.

Fortunately, the fire was dispatched quickly and District 8 had its neighbors and the resources to keep it from spreading, McDaniel said.

“I caution the public, do not try to mow tall, dead grass with anything mechanical,” he said.

The chief said the idea takes him back to two years ago, when a brush hog operating in a field led to a nearly 200-acre fire on a chicken farm on Gore Road.

The wooden bridge was damaged, and the brush trucks had to find a shallow spot in the stream in order to leave Tucker Road, he said.

A spokesperson for the state Department of Natural Resources today is offering a recommendation for the public along the same lines, in response to the Rochester fire.

While it is contained, roughly 200 people continue to work the fire. Teams are assessing hazards including trees, the number of affected structures, burnt material, downed power lines, runoff and hazardous materials.

Lost were two primary residences, one commercial building, one unoccupied historical residence and one historical barn, according to Thurston County officials.

Outdoor burn bans are in place in Lewis and Thurston counties.

“We want to remind citizens to pay attention to their surroundings and be cautious of any outdoor activities.” DNR Communications Manager Janet Pearce said, “Even a lawnmower can start a fire.”