Centralia woman accused of decapitating her newborn

March 9th, 2011

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Centralia police say a 25-year-old woman they arrested today gave birth to a baby about halfway through her pregnancy and then cut off its head with a knife.

Officers arrested Laura Lynn Hickey, 25, of Centralia, and booked her into the Lewis County Jail for first-degree murder.

Today’s arrest follows a week-long investigation into an incident that began at the Peppertree Motor Inn and RV Park on Alder Street in Centralia.

Neighbors called 911 just before 1 a.m. last Wednesday after hearing Hickey calling for help from her residence, according to police.

She was taken by ambulance to Providence Centralia Hospital where she told doctors she was having a miscarriage, police said. The examination revealed she had given birth, and she said she spontaneously aborted the fetus during the night, according to police.

Centralia police say she admitted giving birth, and emergency room staff immediately called police and emergency responders to check the welfare of a possible fetus at the woman’s home.

Officers found the deceased male baby in a container under the sink.

Hickey lives in a fifth-wheel trailer at the RV park.

Centralia Police Officer John Panco said Hickey had said she was about 21 weeks along in her pregnancy. The pathologist confirmed she was roughly 21 weeks along, Panco said today.

Panco said the preliminary findings from an autopsy indicated the baby was alive at the time of its birth. The examination also indicated it suffered fatal injuries, decapitation, that were intentionally inflicted, according to Panco.

“A knife was used,” he said.

Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer said today he expects to charge Hickey with “at least” first-degree murder.

“The pathologist said it appeared the baby was born alive and was a viable fetus,” Meyer said.

The Lewis County Coroner’s Office said today neither they, nor the forensic pathologist Dr. Emmanuel Lacsina have made a determination on the cause or manner of death.

Chief Deputy Coroner Dawn Harris said the autopsy was conducted last week.

They are awaiting toxicology and microscopic test, procedures routinely done with autopsies, according to Harris. The results could take at least eight weeks, she said.

Panco said Hickey named the boy Caleb Jacob Hickey.

He said she has three children who don’t live with her, as they have been taken into state custody.

Hickey was interviewed at the police station today and then taken to the jail in Chehalis.

Meyer said she is expected to go before a judge tomorrow afternoon.

••

Read “News brief: ‘Remains’ found under sink after apparent miscarriage to be examined by coroner” from Wednesday March 2, 2011 at 11:28 a.m. here

Portland intruder who called 911 arrested in Chehalis with cart-full of stolen merchandise

March 9th, 2011

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Chehalis police say a man who made the news last night for calling 911 after he broke into a Portland area home to take a shower – and feared the arriving homeowner’s dogs outside the bathroom door – was picked up overnight at Wal-Mart.

Timothy J. Chapek, 24, of Beaverton, Ore., pushed a loaded shopping cart out an emergency exit at Wal-Mart in Chehalis last night and began unloading almost $1,200 of merchandise into a stolen BMW, according to Chehalis police.

Detective Sgt. Rick McNamara said officers called about 12:25 a.m. to the retailer on Northwest Louisiana Avenue found Chapek outside the garden center.

“It was everything,” McNamara said about the stolen goods, listing off items such as stereo speakers, tools, clothing, “lots of clothing.”

Chapek had also allegedly gone behind a counter and tried to get into a cash register, which upgraded his offense from shoplifting to burglary, for going into a place not open to the public, McNamara said.

The “really nice, expensive, new” BMW was found to be stolen from a car dealership in Beaverton, McNamara said.

The sergeant said Chapek had been booked for the incident in Portland, but was released from jail. He is currently in the Lewis County Jail, booked for second-degree burglary and possession of stolen property.

The Oregonian reported last night Chapek and the Portland homeowner both called 911 about 7 p.m. on Monday night; the 24-year-old reportedly confessed what he’d done in and said he feared the homeowner outside the bathroom door might have a gun.

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

March 9th, 2011

BREAK-IN

• Centralia police were called about 10 p.m. last night about an apparent break-in at the 1100 block of West Walnut Street. An individual arrived home and found a screen removed and a window open, according to the Centralia Police Department. It appeared somebody went inside but nothing seemed to be moved or taken, according to police.

DRUGS

• Centralia police arrested a 22-year-old man yesterday evening for possession of hashish and an outstanding warrant. Michael R. Moors, of Centralia, was booked into the Lewis County Jail after contact with an officer about 7:15 p.m. at the 400 block of North Tower Avenue, according to police.

CAR BURNED UP IN ONALASKA WAS STOLEN

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help with any information about a suspicious car fire early yesterday in Onalaska. A 1999 Honda Civic – which turned out to be stolen – was found burning on the 100 block of Kruger Road at about 5 a.m. on Tuesday. The vehicle had been stolen the afternoon of Feb. 26 from a parking lot at Lucky Shot Archery on the 400 block of Coal Creek Road, according to the sheriff’s office. Chief Deputy Stacy Brown asks anyone with information about the fire or the stolen car to call the sheriff’s office or Lewis County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-748-6422.

NAME RELEASED OF VICTIM OF FATAL CRASH

• The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office released the name today of the 41-year-old woman from Ashford who, along with her companion, was killed in a single-vehicle collision Monday evening on state Route 7 near 260th Street in Pierce County. Michelle Angela Anderson was dead at the scene of the accident, according to authorities. The driver, Eugene R. Qillan, 42, of Spanaway, was killed as well.

SEX CRIME ARRESTEE CHARGED

• A 42-year-old Napavine man was charged yesterday with third-degree rape and incest for an incident which allegedly occurred over the weekend at an apartment in Chehalis. Craig R. Garrison and a young adult female relative were watching a movie when he allegedly put his hand up under her skirt, according to charging documents in Lewis County Superior Court. Garrison, who has been mostly transient for the past two years according to his attorney, was ordered held on $10,000 bail.

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

March 8th, 2011

This was updated at 3 p.m.

ASHFORD RESIDENT KILLED IN WRECK

• A 41-year-old woman from Ashford and her companion were both killed in a single-vehicle collision yesterday evening on state Route 7 in Pierce County, according to the Washington State Patrol. Troopers called about 6:15 p.m. to the area near 260th Street were told by witnesses the driver of the 1982 Chevrolet pickup truck was northbound and ran a red light, the state patrol reported. The driver tried to steer around a southbound vehicle making a left turn, but ran off the road and struck a light pole, according to troopers. Dead at the scene were Eugene R. Qillan, 42, of Spanaway and his female passenger. The pair were seat-belted, but the impact to the pole was so strong, it moved the foundation, the state patrol reported. The truck was described as totaled. While the state patrol reports the female is from Ashford, the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office said today they hope to confirm this afternoon she is who they think she is.

PIRATE SUPPORTERS VANDALIZE ADNA SCHOOL?

• Deputies are looking for information about who spray-painted graffiti at the baseball and softball fields at Adna High School over the weekend. A deputy called about 9:15 a.m. yesterday to the 100 block of Adna School Road found “Go Adna Pirates” and the initials T.W.R. or T.W.A. painted in places such as the outside of a concession stand, as well as the the inside and outside of the visitors dugout, according to Chief Deputy Stacy Brown. The damage is estimated at $400. Brown is asking anyone who knows anything about the incident to call Lewis County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-748-6422.

BURNING CAR FOUND IN ONALASKA DRIVEWAY

• Onalaska firefighters called around 5 o’clock this morning found a car fully engulfed in flames off Kruger Road in a driveway leading to an old barn, according to fire investigator Jay Birley. The Honda Civic was destroyed and the cause is under investigation, Birley said. The property is uninhabited, according to Birley. The car’s owner was not around, he said.

DRUGS

• Detective Sgt. Rick McNamara’s tip for the day: “If you’re going to commit a misdemeanor, don’t carry felony drugs in your pocket.” Chehalis police arrested a 21-year-old Clatskanie, Ore. woman for shoplifting yesterday and subsequently found her to be in possession of suspected heroin, according to police. Rachael N. Strand was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• Centralia police were called yesterday morning about the theft of a wallet from an unlocked vehicle on the 1200 block of Lincoln Street.

SEX CRIME

• A 42-year-old Napavine man was arrested yesterday for third-degree rape following an incident that reportedly occurred in Chehalis over the weekend. Craig R. Garrison was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

March 7th, 2011

This was updated at 6:15 p.m.

THREATS WITH GUNS

• A 22-year-old Centralia man was jailed last night after police were told he pointed a sawed off shotgun at three individuals at apartments on the 100 block of Virginia Drive in Centralia and threatened to shoot them. Officers were called about 7 p.m. and took Samuel Ponce-Ruiz into custody without incident, according to the Centralia Police Department. It began as an argument between neighbors, according to police. Ponce-Ruiz was booked into the Lewis County Jail for three counts of first-degree assault, according to police. The landscaper who works in Rochester was subsequently charged today with three counts of first-degree assault and ordered held on $100,000 bail. Ponce-Ruiz’s fiance was reportedly arguing with neighbors across the street from their apartment about the father of her 10-year-old son who had come around asking about the child, according to charging documents. The three un-named individuals said Ponce-Ruiz pulled up his shirt to show a long gun with a brown handle, the documents allege. The three witnesses said he pointed it at them, saying they were lucky there were children there; he denied it to police, according to the documents. Centralia police found a 20-gauge firearm in a couch cushion in his apartment when they searched, the documents state.

• A 24-year-old Glenoma man was arrested for second-degree assault after he allegedly assaulted his wife and brandished a pistol on Saturday afternoon in Glenoma. A family member took the gun away and then Evan L. Blake produced a rifle which he pointed at himself and his wife, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Blake was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

SIGN TAPED ON COURTHOUSE DRAWS POLICE

• Chehalis police were called yesterday morning to investigate a sign taped to the front door of the Lewis County Law and Justice Center with a rambling note mentioning District Court Judge R.W. Buzzard. The judge was informed and police are asking their city attorney to determine if the message constituted harassment, according to Chehalis police. “It looks like the writing of somebody who has mental issues,” detective Sgt. Rick McNamara said this morning. The sign included statements such as “The Law and Justice Center is a lie,” he said. A 63-year-old woman who apparently authored the note signed it, he said.

JUVENILE ESCAPES FROM PARK WORK CREW

• Centralia police were called about 9 a.m. on Saturday when a inmate from the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center ran away from a work crew in Fort Borst Park. The 14-year-old boy, picked up within a few hours at a Chehalis apartment, said he was sorry for running away, Chehalis police said this morning.

THEFTS

• A Ford Ranger stolen from Longview was recovered yesterday at property on the 700 block of Rhoades Road in Winlock, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. A 43-year-old man at the address is being referred for a possible charge of possession of a stolen vehicle, the sheriff’s office reported. A stolen hay baler thought to be on the premises was not found, according to Chief Deputy Stacy Brown.

• A deputy took a report Friday night of the theft of dark blue 1991 Plymouth acclaim from the 200 block of Mattson Road west of Centralia. The victim believed the $650 car was towed from the end of his driveway sometime between Feb. 15 and last Tuesday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• A four-wheeled ATV valued at an estimated $1,500 was reported stolen from the 200 block of Plomondon Road near Toledo, according to a report made yesterday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Missing is a 1996 Yamaha Warrior 350, according to the sheriff’s office.

• Centralia police took a report of unauthorized charges to a woman’s credit card on Friday morning from the 1200 block of Lum Road in Centralia. The victim was reportedly the subject of a recent vehicle prowl, according to police.

• Police were called about 6 a.m. on Saturday morning to a burglary on the 600 block of Main Avenue in Morton. Somebody got in the residence through a window and stole an estimated $700 of “miscellaneous personal items”, according to the Morton Police Department.

• Morton police took a report about 1 p.m. on Thursday of a recreational vehicle being broke into at a storage facility in the 700 block of Airport Way. The value of the items taken is not yet available, according to the Morton Police Department.

DRUGS

• Centralia police arrested a 52-year-old Centralia man early this morning for possession of methamphetamine. Steven M. Yoke was booked into the Lewis County Jail after contact with an officer on the 700 block of Harrison Avenue about 2:45 a.m. today, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Chehalis police were called to the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center on Southwest Pacific Avenue yesterday about damage to a cell by one of the detainees. An officer was told the 17-year-old boy cracked a light and carved on the toilet seat, door and wall, according to police.

• Chehalis police took a report of BB gun holes in a window at the Eugenia Center on the 100 block of Northwest Chehalis Avenue on Friday morning.

• Chehalis police were called about 2:30 a.m. on Saturday about a car being “egged” on the 1000 block of 20th Street.

• Police took a report on Friday morning of graffiti on a shop building in the 1500 block of Windsor Avenue in Centralia.

TEENAGE ADNA PARTY BUSTED

• Deputies broke up an underage drinking party on Friday night in Adna where at least 13 individuals were cited or potentially will be cited, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies called about a dispute about 11:45 p.m. on the 700 block of Twin Oaks Road found no dispute, but did find 10 juveniles and three 18-year-olds at the party, according to Chief Deputy Stacy Brown. The juveniles were turned over to their parents, Brown said.

COLLISIONS

• Deputies called about 8 p.m. last night to the 3200 block of Jackson Highway in Chehalis found a truck with an estimated $750 damage and a cow with a broken leg, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The driver said it was dark and she didn’t see the animal in the middle of the road, the sheriff’s office reported. She was reportedly unhurt.

• A 32-year-old Chehalis man was treated for a minor head injury after his vehicle ran into a tree off state Route 6 near River Road west of Chehalis early Saturday morning. Troopers called about 3:45 a.m. reported James M. Greenwood III would be cited for driving under the influence. His 1998 Toyota pickup sustained an estimated $4,000 damage, according to the Washington State Patrol. He was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital and has since been released.

Drive-by shooting charges dismissed against second of four suspects

March 5th, 2011

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Juan Valentino Vasquez was released from jail yesterday after Lewis County prosecutors asked a judge to drop the charges against the accused drive-by shooter.

Vasquez, also known by his street name “Grover” according to police, was one of four individuals believed to be inside a Chevrolet Blazer from which somebody fired a round in August on Southwest William Street in Chehalis.

2010.0811.mug.juan.vasquez2

Juan Valentino Vasquez

Deputy Prosecutor Colin Hayes told a judge yesterday afternoon he had insufficient evidence to prove the case.

The Centralia man had been scheduled to go to trial next week in Lewis County Superior Court on charges of drive-by shooting and first-degree assault.

Outside the courtroom yesterday, Hayes declined to elaborate on the details behind the dismissal.

Vasquez is the second original suspect against whom charges have been dropped.

Last fall, similar charges were dismissed against Ruben Alberto Palomares because his wife’s statements against him would be inadmissible since her information came from privileged marital communications.

Centralia defense attorney Don Blair represented both men.

2010.0811.mug.andrew.morales.loberg

Andrew Morales-Loberg

The individual fingered as the actual shooter by the alleged target in the incident remains at large. A $500,000 warrant was issued last summer for Andrew Morales-Loberg, 19, of Chehalis.

He still hasn’t been found, Hayes said yesterday.

Authorities describe the shooting as related to a debt owed to somebody called “Candy man” and perpetrated by the LVL gang.

A .45 caliber round was found at the scene after the Aug. 7 incident on the 400 block of Southwest William Street. It missed several people standing outside but struck an unoccupied parked vehicle.

Chehalis police at the time described witnesses as reluctant to talk  because of fear of gang retaliation.

LVL stands for Little Valley Locos or Little Valley Lokotes a gang locally made up mostly of individuals who grew up in Centralia when it was particularly active in the summer of 2007.

Chehalis police initially said the occupants of the SUV were Morales-Loberg, Vasquez, 24, Palomares, 25, of Tenino, and his wife, Christina Palomares, formerly Alaniz, 24.

The mother of three remains charged with drive-by shooting, however, she was released from jail in September on an unsecured bond.

Chehalis police said they believed Christina Palomares was the driver. Her trial is still scheduled for the week of April 18.

Drive-by shooting is a class B felony, with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

Vasquez was jailed only about two months ago after police found him at a trailer home on Windsor Avenue.

A search of the trailer turned up a fully automatic Chinese SKS firearm, described by police as a shortened rifle, and illegal for anyone to possess. It was not believed to be the gun used in August.

Hayes yesterday said the order Judge Richard Brosey signed dismissing the charges against Vasquez were “without prejudice”, meaning they could be filed again at a later time.

•••

Read background on the case:

• “Mother of three charged in Chehalis drive-by shooting, husband turns self in” from Wednesday Aug. 11, 2010, here
• “Tenino couple’s arraignment for Chehalis drive-by shooting set for today” from Thursday Aug. 12, 2010, here

News brief: Crab feed Saturday in Tenino

March 4th, 2011

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The fire department in Tenino is holding its annual fundraiser tomorrow, a crab feed.

Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at the station at 187 Hodgden St. in Tenino.

Also on the menu is spaghetti and more. They will hold a raffle as well.

Doors open tomorrow at 3 p.m. at the station and they will begin serving about 4 p.m.

The event, hosted by the Thurston County 12 Firefighters Association, is held to raise money for equipment that isn’t covered in their budget.