Lewis County Sirens.com

This news item was updated at 11:45 a.m

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Police are looking for a black 1995 Infinity after a 4-year-old boy was apparently taken by force this morning from a family counseling center in Chehalis by his father, who is home on military leave.

Dustin Reed

Officers are looking for Dustin Reed, 34, of Fort Knox, Kentucky, according to a news release.

Early information suggests about 9:15 a.m. Reed assaulted a friend of the mother’s as he was leaving and the child may have sustained some injury as he was put in the car, police reported.

Chehalis police say they think Reed has family in the Centralia area.

His car was last seen heading toward Interstate 5.

The four-door vehicle bears a license plate reading 617 TQP, according to police.

An Amber alert describes the child as wearing blue jeans, blue boots, a blue flannel jacket and a bluish-gray Mario T-shirt.

Jacek Reed

The blue-eyed, brown-haired boy has a buzz cut and a red mark under his left eye, according to the alert.

The father is described as a 5-foot 9-inch tall white male weighing 160 pounds, also with blue eyes and brown hair.

It began at a shelter or counseling center on Northwest Chehalis Avenue in Chehalis, according to authorities.

Reed is on antidepressants and has access to weapons, but no weapon was seen at the time of the abduction, according to the alert.

Chehalis police noted the mother’s friend was assaulted by means of a vehicle as Reed was leaving, but did not describe the seriousness or provide details.

Chehalis police believe the car belongs to Reed’s brother.

The alert asks anyone with information to call 360-748-8605

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Follow Amber alert at http://www.amberalert.com/en/alerts/state/?type=washington/

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A father and his two teenage sons escaped an overnight house fire in Toledo which virtually destroyed a two-story home.

Volunteers from five departments answered the 4:11 a.m. call to Blakeley Lane, about three miles east of town, according to Lewis County Fire District 2 Chief Grant Wiltbank.

The two boys were sleeping downstairs where the fire is suspected to have begun, Wiltbank said.

“From what I understand, one of them smelled smoke and raised the alarm,” he said.

The father had to get out through a second-story sliding window, he said.

No injuries were reported.

The house was probably about 75 percent involved when crews arrived and even though it was knocked down rather quickly, it took until almost 9 o’clock this morning to chase down and root out fire in various spots above the wood ceiling, Wiltbank said.

Wiltbank, who was at his regular job out of town until this morning, was quick to offer high praise for Assistant Chief Mike Dorothy, who was incident commander, and the 25 personnel who responded.

He said he just couldn’t be more impressed with the caliber of people – volunteers – who answer these calls.

“Everybody did an extraordinarily good job, particularly working in sub-freezing conditions for several hours …” he said. “My hat goes off to all of them.”

The last of the District 2 firefighters didn’t finish up and leave the station until 11:30 a.m., he said.

The cause is being investigated, but appears to be accidental, appearing to have originated in an area on the ground floor near the stairway, several feet from a wood stove, Wiltbank said.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A 22-year-old Silver Creek man survived an overnight crash in which his pickup truck traveled down an embankment striking several trees and came to rest in a creek bed, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Daniel R. McKechnie crawled out of the vehicle and walked to a friend’s house to get help, responders said.

Lewis County Fire District 3 Chief Matt Hadaller estimated the truck landed about 50 yards off state Route 122.

McKechnie was taken to Morton General Hospital with cuts to his hands and head, the state patrol reported.

“Yeah, he was a lucky guy,” Hadaller said this morning.

Troopers were called about 2:35 a.m. to the scene west of Mossyrock near Lake Road.

The 1995 Ford pickup was described as totaled. Hadaller said he didn’t notice any water in the creek, calling it a ravine where the vehicle landed.

The investigating trooper blamed driving too fast on a curve and indicated McKechnie was to be cited for driving under the influence. He wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and said he was ejected from the truck, according to responders.

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The Olympian reports a 22-year-old Olympia man was found guilty yesterday in an October road rage incident in which multiple shots were fired at a pickup truck driven by a 58-year-old man from Ethel.

Donald Palmer of Ethel, and his passenger, Margaret Eldridge of Elma, reported the incident happened about 9 p.m. on Oct. 31.

It began on state Route 101 in Mason County and ended near the Black Lake Boulevard exit in west Thurston County, according to the Washington State Patrol.

News reporter Jeremy Pawloski notes that Reed C. Boysen, 22, was convicted yesterday in Thurston County Superior Court of two counts of second-degree assault and one count of drive by shooting.

Read Pawloski’s news story here