Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

June 21st, 2010

TEXT MESSAGE USED AS HOLD-UP NOTE, POLICE SAY

• A 21-year-old man was arrested for robbery after he allegedly used his cell phone to text a demand note to a Chehalis grocery store clerk last night to get a carton of Marlboro cigarettes. Police were called about 1:30 a.m. to Safeway on South Market Boulevard. The subject had left and when a patrol officer contacted him, he took off running, according to Chehalis police. The officer chased him for several blocks and eventually caught up to Michael E. Bylsma, 21, of Chehalis, police detective Sgt. Rick McNamara said this morning. Bylsma was booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree robbery. McNamara said the suspect had typed out his “little demand note” on his phone and then showed it to the clerk.

WOMAN TRIES TO STOP SISTER FROM TURNING HERSELF IN TO JAIL, BOTH LOCKED UP

• A 28-year-old Chehalis woman was arrested for unlawful imprisonment on Sunday morning after she allegedly held her sister in her home on the 100 block of Southwest Cascade Avenue and wouldn’t let her leave. Chehalis police said the 20-year-old younger sister, a Centralia resident wanted to turn herself in at the jail, as she was wanted on a warrant. Police detective Sgt. Rick McNamara said he didn’t know why the older sister didn’t want her sister to turn herself in. The victim was able to get away and go to the jail, McNamara said. He didn’t say how long the sister was held against her will. Police went to the house and arrested Jillyn M. Sill, 28. She was booked about 9 a.m. on Sunday.

BASEBALL BAT ATTACK IN CENTRALIA

• A 26-year-old man from Kent was arrested for second-degree assault after he allegedly used a baseball bat on his old girlfriend’s new boyfriend in Centralia. Police were called about 7:30 p.m. Sunday to the 600 block of South Diamond Street where it happened and not long afterward, the suspect vehicle was spotted near freeway exit 76, according to Centralia police. Police Sgt. Stacy Denham said the victim was not severely injured. Edgar G. Escobar-Rodas, of Kent, was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to Denham.

TRUCK ROLLS OVER MAN IN WINLOCK

• A 37-year-old man was hospitalized yesterday after a pickup truck he was working on rolled over him and dragged him 25 to 35 yards outside of Winlock. Aid was called about 5:50 p.m. Sunday to the scene at the 200 block of Burnett Road, off of Jones Road, according to to Lewis County Fire District 15. The truck ran over his shoulders and a helicopter picked him up at Winlock’s elementary school and flew him to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to Fire District 15. The man’s name was not available.

INTERRUPTED BURGLARY IN CENTRALIA

• A woman returning to her Centralia area home along the 2200 block of Graf Road on Saturday morning found it ransacked and saw a man running away into the woods. Deputies searching the area after the 9:30 a.m. call found a pile of stolen goods – including a small wagon, a machete, a weed eater and bolt cutters, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies also found a man identified as the one leaving the house, sheriff’s Cmdr. Steve Aust said this morning. Daniel J. Miller, 49, of Chehalis, was arrested and booked for first-degree burglary, Aust said.

ATTEMPTED BURGLARY ARREST IN CENTRALIA

• Scott J. Koth, 39, of Shelton, was arrested and booked for attempted residential burglary last night in connection with an incident on the 1300 block of South Gold Street in Centralia, according to police.

MAN CAUGHT STEALING BARBEQUE FROM CENTRALIA DRIVEWAY, POLICE SAY

• A 19-year-old Morton man was arrested and jailed after he was reportedly caught in the act of stealing a barbecue from a driveway in Centralia on Friday. Police, called just before 1 p.m. about the theft from near east Main and South Buckner streets, reported the victim and his sister confronted a pair of suspects, one of which fled on foot and the other who reportedly tried to get away by driving up and over a curb as officers arrived. Tyler J. Carbaugh, 19, was arrested for third-degree theft, according to Centralia police.

WOMAN IN TROUBLE FOR FALSE STOLEN VEHICLE REPORT, POLICE SAY

• Centralia police concluded a report of a stolen vehicle in Centralia on Saturday afternoon was actually made up when the vehicle was involved in a hit and run accident. The female who reported her vehicle stolen will be referred for possible charge of making a false report, according to police Sgt. Stacy Denham. The driver of her vehicle was arrested, according to Centralia police.

BUSINESS LOSES ANOTHER SECURITY CAMERA TO THEFT

• A new security camera to replace one stolen recently from a business on B Street in Centralia was reported stolen on Sunday afternoon.

DRUG RESIDUE FOUND, ARRESTS MADE

• Centralia police arrested Makia D. Adams, no age or hometown reported, for possession of methamphetamine at about 8:30 Sunday morning on the 300 block of West Summa Street in Centralia. It involved a pipe and suspected drug residue, according to police.

• Daniel L. Carpenter, 33, of Centralia, was arrested early Sunday on the 1000 block of North Pearl Street in Centralia for possession of methamphetamine. It involved suspected drug residue, according to police. Carpenter was also cited for driving with a suspended license.

MORE THEFTS

• Centralia police took a report on Friday morning of a vehicle prowled on the 500 block of Woodland Avenue. Sometime overnight, somebody had gone inside the unlocked vehicle and took a key that was in the console, according to Centralia police.

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office this morning said they took a report on Friday of several spools of new copper wire being missing from a business on the 100 block of Sturdevant Road in Chehalis, from sometime between last Wednesday and Thursday. Somebody cut a fence to get in, according to the report. The loss was estimated at $500.

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office this morning said they took a report on Friday of the theft of prescription medication and alcohol from a home on the 3400 block of Trevor Lane outside Centralia. Taken sometime between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. was a bottle of liquor and a bottle of Lorazepam, according to Cmdr. Steve Aust.

DUI ARREST

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s office reported this morning that a deputy arrested Luis M. Valdovinos, 33, of Kent, on Saturday for driving under the influence. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

News brief: House fires stopped before homes destroyed in Chehalis, Randle

June 20th, 2010

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Firefighters were called to a structure fire on Saturday afternoon at a home on Pine Drive, west of Chehalis.

Furniture in the living room had caught fire and extended into the walls and the ceiling, according to the fire investigator.

The mother awoke from a nap to find the smoke level was halfway down to the floor, fire investigator Jay Birley said today of the 3:45 p.m. call.

“She grabbed the two kids and got out,” Birley said.

There was quite a bit of smoke damage in the living room area, he said. The cause is still under investigation.

Lewis County Fire Districts 6 and 5 just an hour earlier, had been called out to a kitchen fire at a double-wide mobile home on Chehalis Valley Drive.

The resident had extinguished a grease fire on the stove, but later heard popping noises and called the fire department, Birley said. Fire had gotten into the ventilation duct and into the attic.

Birley estimated about $5,000 damage to that home.

Birley also said today a Wednesday fire at a residence in Randle was believed to have started in a light fixture in a bathroom.

A resident of the double-wide mobile home on Kelly Lane doused the flames with a garden hose as best he could, but flames got into the ceiling and the attic, according to Birley.

The resident’s phone wouldn’t work, so he ran to a neighbor’s home to call 911 about 12:50 a.m., Birley said. About half the attic there was damaged, he said.

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

June 18th, 2010

CHILD PORN FOUND ON FAMILY’S COMPUTER GAME MEMORY, POLICE SAY

• Police arrested a former Chehalis man yesterday after a dozen or more pornographic pictures of children were turned up on a memory card from the family’s children’s computer game machine. Joshua N. Hensley, 27, was arrested at his Grand Mound workplace and booked into the Lewis County Jail for possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, Chehalis Police Department Sgt. Rick McNamara said this morning. The investigation began after police were called March 21 to a Chehalis home and arrested Hensley for second-degree assault, domestic violence, McNamara said. His wife turned over to police a computer, which is still being examined for suspected illegal images by experts at the state crime lab, he said. Following Hensley’s March arrest, the wife contacted detectives again to say she discovered some pictures on the children’s game. McNamara said he didn’t know for sure if the children saw the photos or exactly where the photos originated.

DRUGS

• A Silver Creek man was arrested for unlawful possession of a controlled substance after a traffic stop about 11:40 p.m. last night on South Tower Avenue in Centralia, according to Centralia police.

THEFTS AND BURGLARY

• Chehalis police were called about 3:20 this morning about a burglary on Southwest Interstate Avenue. A window was shattered, according to the report made to police.

• A stolen riding lawn mower was found at the recycling center on Reynolds Avenue in Centralia by its owner, according to a report made to Centralia police yesterday morning.

• A clarinet was stolen from a vehicle on the 1300 block of West Main Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police yesterday morning. Later in the day, police were called about a purse being taken from a vehicle on the 2000 block of Industrial Way.

VEHICLES VANDALIZED

• Chehalis police were called about 3:45 p.m. yesterday about vandalism to a truck on Southwest Second Street. Centralia police took two reports yesterday of vandalism to vehicles; one on the 1300 block of Belmont Avenue and earlier in the day, another report that all four tires were slashed on a vehicle on the 1800 block of North Pearl Street.

DRYER FIRE ABOVE SKATING RINK

• Firefighters were called just after midnight to a smokey smell at an apartment above the Rollerdrome in Centralia. What they found on the 200 block of Maple Street was a dryer fire, Capt. Ken Colombo said this morning. The residents had laundered and then dried oily rags, which spontaneously combusted as they sat in the warm dryer, he said. The fire was confined to the machine, however, it had melted plastic parts inside. The resulting overwhelming burnt plastic odor leaves the inhabitants with probably thousands of dollars in cleaning costs, Colombo said.

SCHOOL’S OUT: SAFETY REMINDER

• With the school year ending, fire Lt. Laura Hanson wants to remind motorists to keep their eyes out for more youngsters on the streets. Children will be playing in parks, next to roadways and just having a good time riding their bicycles, Hanson of Lewis County Fire District 5 said, and drivers just need to be even more aware.

Sharyn’s Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

June 17th, 2010

KNIFE LEADS TO ARREST FOR ASSAULT

• Centralia police reported this morning they arrested  man for reportedly choking his girlfriend and holding a knife to her neck. The call to the 1300 block of Johnson Road about 11 a.m. on Wednesday led to Allan C. Baker, 39, of Centralia, being booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree assault, domestic violence, according to police.

THEFTS IN CHEHALIS AND CENTRALIA

• Centralia police took a report yesterday of the theft of more than $2,000 of dental lab tools from an address on the 1500 block of South Gold Street in Centralia.

• Somebody broke a window to get inside a vehicle on the 1100 block of Brotherson Road in Centralia and stole a scanner and other items, according to a report made to police just before 7 o’clock this morning. Yesterday at about 1:30 p.m., a report was made that somebody had removed compact discs and a GPS unit from a vehicle on the 1000 block of South Pearl Street. In that case, entry was made by bending the window frame of the vehicle, according to the summary of the police report.

• Chehalis police took a report on Tuesday afternoon that items were stolen from a truck while it was parked over the weekend at the 1900 block of Northeast Kresky Avenue.

• Chehalis police were contacted just after 8 a.m. on Tuesday about a burglary. Further details weren’t readily available.

News brief: Public’s help sought in missing woman case

June 17th, 2010

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating an 18-year-old woman who was reported missing more than a month ago.

Kayla Mae Croft-Payne is somewhat transient, living most recently in the Chehalis area, according to the sheriff’s office.

Kayla Croft-Payne

A friend made a missing person report on May 5, after not seeing or hearing from Croft-Payne for several days, according to a news release. She has also not accessed her MySpace Internet account since April 28.

“We’ve exhausted all our leads,” sheriff’s Cmdr. Steve Aust said this morning. “We don’t have any information she’s met with foul play, but we don’t have any information she’s safe and sound.”

Croft-Payne is a white female with blue eyes described as 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing about 105 pounds. The sheriff’s office released two photos of her yesterday hoping that will help in their investigation.

Kayla Croft-Payne

She has been known to frequent several locations in Lewis, Grays Harbor and Pierce counties, the sheriff’s office said. She did not have a job, according to Aust.

The sheriff’s office asks anyone with any information on her whereabouts to call  detective Jamey McGinty at 360-748-9286, referencing case number 10C4830. Also, information can be passed along anonymously through Crimes Stoppers of Lewis County at www.lewiscountycrimestoppers.org or the sheriff’s office new online crime tips page at http://tips.lewiscountywa.gov/

News brief: Big rig hits another big rig on Interstate 5 at Centralia

June 16th, 2010

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A semi-truck slammed into the back of another semi-truck on northbound Interstate 5 at Centralia during the lunch hour, but no serious injuries were reported.

A trooper was called about 12:20 p.m. to the rear-end collision near milepost 81, Mellon Street.

The 2001 Peterbilt was towed from the scene with an estimated $4,000 damage, according to the Washington State Patrol.

The driver of the Peterbilt was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital with chest pain, where he was treated and has been released.  The state patrol attributed the crash to going too fast and failing to slow when traffic ahead slowed.

David R. Williamsen, 49, of Centralia, was driving the 1999 Freightliner that got hit. He was reportedly not injured and his truck was able to be driven from the scene, the state patrol reported.

Hunter, business owner finds new use for game camera

June 16th, 2010

By Sharyn  L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

Larry Ramsey usually uses his “game cam” to find good spots to hunt white-tailed deer, but after a series of thefts from his Chehalis business, he set up the device in his shop, and he’s caught one.

Game 'cam' picture taken inside Ramsey Co.'s shop on Hamilton Road in Chehalis.

The camera – which uses infra-red technology and a motion sensor – snapped a photo of an intruder inside his Hamilton Road building recently and the sheriff’s office is hoping someone will recognize the individual and give them a call.

Ramsey said thieves have been stealing pieces from his trucks and other equipment, both when they’re out at work sites and at the Ramsey Co. in Chehalis. They cut battery wires and welding leads for the copper they contain, he said. Some of the leads are up up to 60 feet long and are expensive to replace, he said.

The business, which employs about six people, manufactures custom buckets for use with heavy equipment used for mining sand and gravel. Ramsey Co. sells most of their machines in the Midwest.

Out in the woods, Ramsey might set the game cam up on a trail which might be populated by deer, and later check the photos with his laptop computer. But he found it has this other valuable use.

When Ramsey recently browsed the pictures captured by the game cam, he discovered a man had broken in about 10 p.m. on April 20. He looks like he’s in his 30s and of average size, Ramsey said.

“What he was looking for was copper,” Ramsey said. “There was an old welder he looked at, but they’d already stolen the leads off that.”