Posts Tagged ‘news reporter’

News brief: Gun, alcohol, plus child leads to arrest in Chehalis

Thursday, August 17th, 2017

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 40-year-old man was arrested after allegedly firing a gun in a case yesterday evening in which police were asked to check on the well-being of a 4-year-old child at a Chehalis residence.

Nobody was injured by gunfire but officers found the man and a woman were too intoxicated from alcohol to care for the child, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

The 33-year-old Chehalis woman was transported to the hospital for reasons the police department would not disclose. Brian Fink, 40, was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

Officers called at 6:54 p.m. to the home on the 300 block of Southwest 15th Street learned Fink had discharged a firearm while at the residence, according to department spokesperson Linda Bailey.

Bailey said she did not know what if anything was struck, or if it happened indoors or outdoors but said police recovered a casing.

The weapon is believed to be a .45 caliber possibly a Glock, but is currently locked in a safe for which police are seeking a search warrant to open, Bailey said.

The child was released to family members, she said.

Fink was arrested for reckless endangerment and for unlawfully discharging a firearm, Bailey said.

Resident of Centralia duplex arrested following fire there

Thursday, August 17th, 2017
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Windsor Avenue in north Centralia. / Courtesy photo by Riverside Fire Authority

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 19-year-old man was arrested for arson last night after a fire that heavily damaged the upstairs unit of a duplex in north Centralia.

Firefighters called just before 9 p.m. to the 1200 block of Windsor Avenue found smoke rising from the roof vents and blackened second-story windows, according to Riverside Fire Authority.

The first-floor unit was occupied at the time but everyone was able to get out safely without injury, according to authorities.

The fire department describes the structure as a house converted to a duplex.

Centralia police say they found Kyle T. Rasmussen Jr. a short distance away waiting for a taxi. He had recently been living in the duplex, according to the Centralia Police Department.

Firefighters extended a hose line to the upper level via an outside staircase to extinguish the fire, according to Fire Capt. Scott Weinert.

They were assisted by members of the Chehalis Fire Department and were on scene about four hours, according to Weinert.

Centralia police this morning indicate in a brief summary of events they believe Rasmussen  intentionally set the fire. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail for first-degree arson.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Wednesday, August 16th, 2017
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•••

Updated

TRICKED OUT OF MORE THAN A GRAND

• A 40-year-old Centralia resident visited Chehalis police yesterday to report an incident in which he lost $1,350. He said he was attempting to get a loan and was contacted by someone who said they had deposited money into his account and he just needed to go purchase some gift cards and give them the information so they could collect the money, according to the Chehalis Police Department. “We informed him he was being scammed and about precautions he should take,” Chehalis Police Department spokesperson Linda Bailey said. Bailey said there are no suspects and it didn’t look like police would be able to develop a suspect in the case.

DINE AND DASH

• A pair of diners ate nearly $60 worth of food at the 1000 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia and left without paying, according to a report made to police about 1:20 a.m. today.

MONEY MISSING

• An individual at the 1300 block of Alexander Street in Centralia reported the theft of $20, according to a report made to police about 3:45 p.m. yesterday.

CAR PROWL

• A female contacted police just after 4 p.m. yesterday to report her purse had been stolen from her vehicle two weeks earlier in a case associated with the 100 block of East Main Street in Centralia.

REPORT OF ASSAULT

• Jaime Santos Apolonio, 26, of Sacramento, was arrested yesterday for fourth-degree assault following a call to police about 10:20 p.m. to the 300 block of Southwest Third Street, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The arrest was in connection with an incident that allegedly occurred several days earlier, according to the Chehalis Police Department. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

• Chehalis police were called about 11:15 a.m. yesterday to the 300 block of Southwest 11th Street to take a report of an alleged third-degree assault. Further details were not readily available.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• A 62-year-old Centralia resident was reportedly uninjured after driving his vehicle through a closed gate at Centralia College near the 500 block of West Pear Street just before 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon, but was arrested for driving under the influence, according to the Centralia Police Department. Mahlon L. Wigginton was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

• Centralia police were called about 2:30 p.m. yesterday to the 600 block of West Main Street where a 14-year-old boy driving a motor vehicle allegedly caused a two-vehicle injury collision. A case will be referred to prosecutors regarding the teen driving without a license, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, trespassing, malicious mischief, misdemeanor assault, driving under the influence; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, hit and run, vandalism, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances, protection order violation … and more among 171 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m.

News brief: Helicopter rescues injured woman from Pacific Crest Trail

Wednesday, August 16th, 2017

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A hiker who suffered a leg injury on the Pacific Crest Trail southeast of Packwood was rescued last night, with coordination between the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office and King County Sheriff’s Office Guardian One rescue helicopter.

Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said it happened around 5:50 p.m. about three miles from the Walupt Lake Campground and deputies were dispatched after the activation of an emergency beacon on the trail.

Deputies established a landing zone at the campground, worked to direct the aircraft and contacted the female victim’s hiking companion, according to Breen.

Her hiking partner, a 29-year-old man from Klickitat, said the woman was not mobile but they encountered other hikers who had an emergency beacon they could use, according to Breen.

Breen said the helicopter ended up retrieving the 27-year-old Goldendale woman from the trail and flew her into the Packwood airport. She was transported by ambulance to Morton General Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, he said.

The sheriff’s office transported the male hiker to be reunited with the victim and helped arrange transportation for the pair, he said.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Tuesday, August 15th, 2017
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•••

Updated at 4:47 p.m.

BURGLARY CENTRALIA

• Multiple household items were stolen from a residence on the 500 block of South Gold Street in Centralia over a period of months while the victim was in the hospital, according to a report made to police about 3:40 p.m. yesterday.

COFFEE STAND BURGLED

• A Vader man reported yesterday morning someone broke a window to his coffee stand and stole a cash drawer at the 100 block of Cowlitz Loop Drive in Toledo. It happened between 7:45 p.m. on Sunday and 6:45 a.m. yesterday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Missing is $82 cash, according to the sheriff’s office.

BREAK-IN RANDLE

• A deputy was contacted yesterday morning by the owner of property on the 600 block of Skinner Road in Randle who said a neighbor had called him last Wednesday to notify him they had chased a group of people off the property. The owner went to the property and discovered three locks were damaged and a game cam had been stolen, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

BURGLARY STORAGE YARD

• A deputy was called yesterday to a storage facility at the 2400 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia where someone had cut a hole in a chain link fence and stolen food from a travel trailer parked there. A door handle to a camper was also damaged, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

OCCUPIED VEHICLE PROWLED

• Chehalis police were called by a 68-year-old Rochester woman about 12:45 p.m. yesterday who said she was dozing in her car in the Wal-Mart parking lot waiting for her passenger and someone made off with her purse. She called back a couple hours later to report her credit card had been used at Home Depot, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

OTHER THEFT

• Centralia police took a report yesterday morning that several batteries had been stolen from large equipment at the 1000 block of Long Road over recent months.

• Centralia police were called just after 11 a.m. yesterday to take a report regarding fraudulent use of an EBT card in a case associated with the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue. The victim was referred to the state Department of Social and Health Services, according to the Centralia Police Department.

EXPOSED

• Chehalis police were called to the Lewis County Mall about 11:40 a.m. yesterday by females who said the door to the men’s restroom was open and they saw a male in there touching himself. Sean C. Morgan, 29, of Centralia, was cited for indecent exposure and then released, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Chehalis police were called about 1:15 p.m. yesterday to take a report a garage door had been tagged at the 600 block of Southwest William Avenue.

• A vehicle’s paint was damaged by an egg during an apparent prank at the 2000 block of Ahlers Avenue in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 7:40 a.m. yesterday. No suspects have been identified, according to the Centralia Police Department.

LIFE SAVED AT FREEWAY OVERPASS

• A sheriff’s deputy stopped in traffic near Interstate 5 in Chehalis jumped into action when he spotted a woman standing next to the railing on the 13th Street overpass set her belongings down and then climb over the railing yesterday. He exited his car, ran to the female and grabbed her, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The deputy asked for a Chehalis officer about 3:45 p.m., as other passersby pulled over and called 911. Arrangements were made for the woman to be transported to the hospital, according to police.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• A 41-year-old Chehalis woman was arrested early yesterday morning with minor injuries after a rollover collision along the Pe Ell-McDonald Road, near Lost Valley Road near Pe Ell. A deputy responding about 2:30 a.m. observed a red car on its top in a ditch with significant damage and contacted Brooks who said she had not been driving the car, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Brooks sustained a laceration to her arm and an abrasion on her eye brow and was booked into the Lewis County Jail for driving under the influence, according to the sheriff’s office.

• A 72-year-old Tenino man was arrested after allegedly pulling out onto U.S. Highway 101 in Pacific County in front of a motorcycle, injuring two people yesterday afternoon. Troopers called about 2:55 p.m. to the scene at Baycenter Road about 14 miles south of South Bend report that Peter L. Gregory, 72, of Tenino, was unhurt but he was booked into the Pacific County Jail for driving under the influence. His 2017 Kia Sorento was impounded, according to the Washington State Patrol. The 2015 BMW R12 motorcycle was totaled and its two occupants from Kirkland were injured, according to the state patrol. John M. Vanenkevort and Lisa A. Vanenkevort, both 56 years old, were transported by aid to Willapa Harbor Hospital, according to the investigating trooper.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, obstructing, trespassing, shoplifting, probation violation, misdemeanor domestic assault, protection order violation; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, hit and run, suspicious circumstances … and more among 157 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m.

Meet EMTs, firefighters, police, deputies and the people behind the sirens

Monday, August 14th, 2017
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First Responder’s Day 2016. / Courtesy photo by Lewis County Sheriff’s Office

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – If you plan to attend opening day tomorrow at the Southwest Washington Fair, you’ll find an opportunity to meet many different first responders who serve the public in Lewis County, all in one place.

You’ll find them around the Old Town Firehouse at the northeast corner of the grounds. It’s the area just north of the lawn for the Saloon Stage. Gates open at 10 a.m.

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, in partnership with local emergency responders, will be hosting a First Responder’s Day.

Lewis County Fire District 5 Lt. Laura Hanson said her department is bringing their photo booth.

“The kids love it, they absolutely love it,” Hanson said.

The firehouse has been updated with new things for children, she said.

There will be response vehicles, booths, displays and interactive demonstrations throughout the event, according to the sheriff’s office.

Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza says he hopes community members come out, see them and have fun.

“They will be able to see the equipment, ask questions, and interact with the people and agencies that make Lewis County a safer place to live,” Snaza stated in a press release.

The following agencies plan to be present during the event:

Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, Centralia, Chehalis, Napavine, Toledo, Morton, and Pe Ell Police Departments, Washington State Patrol, Lewis County Dispatch, American Red Cross – Lewis County Chapter, Search and Rescue with Cascade Dogs, multiple fire districts, Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office and the Lewis County Coroner’s Office.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Monday, August 14th, 2017
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•••

Updated at 6:02 p.m.

ALLEGATION: SOUTH COUNTY MECHANIC RAMS GIRLFRIEND’S VEHICLE

• A 40-year-old man reportedly upset another man was helping his former girlfriend fix her vehicle allegedly rapidly accelerated in reverse throwing gravel about, then stopped, put his pickup truck in drive and sped forward so fast he spun out as he rammed her vehicle. A Toledo police officer was called about 10 p.m. on Friday to the dispute, according to charging documents which make no mention of where it occurred. David G. Rabbit was booked into the Lewis County Jail and this afternoon a defense attorney said her client who is employed as a mechanic resides with the alleged victim so he was opposed to a no contact order. Lewis County Superior Court Judge James Lawler imposed the no contact order and set bail at $10,000. Rabbit is charged with one count of second-degree malicious mischief as well as hit and run. The woman’s bumper ended up partially dismounted, according to court papers.

ASSAULT

• A 29-year-old inmate at the Lewis County Jail was arrested for custodial assault after allegedly spitting at a corrections deputy as the inmate was being placed into additional restraints on Saturday night. Danielle K. Hutchison allegedly also scratched the forearms of the same corrections deputy causing bleeding, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

BURGLARY

• A rural Chehalis woman called 911 after getting phone notification from her residential surveillance system that someone was inside her house, who she recognized as a person who rents space in a shop on the same property. Bradley D. Kelly, 48, of Chehalis, allegedly admitted he went into the home on the 1900 block of Rice Road and took $1.75 in coins, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. A deputy called after the approximately 7:45 p.m. incident on Saturday arrested Kelly for residential burglary and booked him in to the Lewis County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office.

FRAUD

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reports it is investigating after someone tried to cash a $1,200 check at a bank in Olympia which had been stolen from the 700 block of Koontz Road south of Chehalis. The victim reported last Wednesday the discovery checks had been stolen between July 30 and Aug. 6, according to the sheriff’s office.

• A Chehalis resident reported on Friday a fraudulent withdrawal of $182 from their bank account at the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

VEHICLE THEFT

• Centralia police were called to the 200 block of West Hanson Street about 9:10 a.m. yesterday to take a report white 1992 Honda Accord had been stolen during the night. The four-door passenger car bears a license plate reading AAT 0636, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A deputy responded about 6:25 p.m. on Saturday to the 500 block of state Route 122 in Silver Creek where two teenage boys allegedly took a golf cart, afterward saying they thought it could be rented, although they admitted they didn’t rent it. The cart was returned to its owner and the case is being referred to prosecutors for possible charges of taking a motor vehicle without permission, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. They are a 17-year-old from Edgewood and a 14-year-old from Happy Valley, Oregon, according to the sheriff’ office.

DRUGS

• A 22-year-old Onalaska resident walking along the 900 block of Byham Road in Winlock about 2:45 p.m. on Saturday was arrested for an outstanding warrant and then possession of methamphetamine. Jordon N. White was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• Chehalis police were called to Green Hill School on Friday to investigate a report of contraband, according to the Chehalis Police Department. The case is under investigation, according to police.

• When drug detectives contacted a 27-year-old Centralia man on Friday for allegedly previously selling some heroin to an informant, he allegedly confessed there was about an ounce of the drug inside his vehicle, and a smaller amount of meth. His vehicle was searched with a warrant today and Brandon M. Cruzan was charged in Lewis County Superior Court with three felonies and ordered held on $100,000 bail. Charging documents in the case allege Cruzan made the sale sometime since June 1 in Lewis County, and Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Paul Masiello told a judge he expected to file two more charges of delivery. Judge James Lawler said he set the high amount of bail for community safety reasons. Cruzan was charged with one count of delivery of a controlled substance, one count of possession of methamphetamine and one count of possession of heroin with intent to deliver in the case investigated by the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team. His arraignment is scheduled for Thursday.

VANDALISM

• Chehalis police were called about 12:15 p.m. yesterday to a business on the 600 block of Northwest State Avenue following the discovery of spray paint tagging and damage to a door.

EASTERN WASH. WILDFIRE

• Three members of Lewis County Fire District 5 left late Saturday night with a brush truck and a tender to assist with the East Saddle Mountain Fire in Grant County. The fire which began at approximately 3:30 p.m. was estimated at 5,000 acres and growing, threatening crops, infrastructure and homes, according to the Washington state Fire Marshal’s Office.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reports the driver of the Nissan Maxima that was totaled on Saturday afternoon when it struck a tree alongside the 3100 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia was subsequently arrested for driving under the influence. Alexis J. Barajas, 19, of Centralia, was also arrested for minor in possession/consumption of alcohol, according to the sheriff’s office. Barajas received minor lacerations and abrasions to his head and face, was treated at Providence Centralia Hospital and booked into the Lewis County Jail, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license, driving under the influence, driving without required ignition interlock, failure to transfer vehicle title; responses for alarm, dispute, shoplifting, civil issue, suspicious circumstances … and more among 130 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m.