Archive for February, 2015

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Wednesday, February 25th, 2015

PURSE TAKEN WHILE SHOPPING

• Centralia police were called about 7:35 p.m. yesterday to the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue where someone stole a purse from a shopping cart while the victim was shopping.

AUTO THEFT

• Centralia police were called about 11:40 a.m. yesterday about the theft of a black 1990 Acura Integra at the 2400 block of Borst Avenue. The car was late recovered,  according to the Centralia Police Department.

DRUGS

• A 34-year-old Centralia man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and an outstanding misdemeanor warrant following a traffic stop about 7:45 a.m. yesterday. Clifford E. Briscoe was contacted on Long Road near the intersection of Alder Street in Centralia and a deputy found a small amount of a substance suspected to be meth, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Briscoe was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, probation violation, shoplifting, misdemeanor assault,  driving with suspended license; responses for alarms, malicious mischief … and more.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Tuesday, February 24th, 2015

GUNS GONE

• Police were called to a burglary about 5:50 p.m. yesterday at a residence on the 200 block of Southeast Park Hill Drive in Chehalis. The victim returned home to find the front door kicked in, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Among the property missing was a Smith and Wesson revolver, a watch and a $100 bill, according to police.

• Someone stole a firearm from a home on the 1200 block of Jalyn Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police yesterday. The rifle looks like an AK47, but only shoots .22 caliber bullets, according to the Centralia Police Department.

MEDS MISSING

• Prescription medications was reported stolen from the 200 block of Centralia College Boulevard in Centralia yesterday, according to police.

TRUCKS TAKEN

• Centralia police took a report yesterday of a red and gray 1983 GMC pickup getting stolen from the 2300 block of Sirkka Avenue.

• Police were called yesterday to the 300 block of North Tower Avenue regarding a maroon 1991 Toyota pickup truck stolen sometime since Friday. It has a license plate reading B25903V, according to the Centralia Police Department.

CAR PROWL

• Chehalis police took a report of a vehicle prowl at the 800 block of Hillburger Road near the Willapa Trail. The victim was gone about 20 minutes and returned to find the driver’s side window broken, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, protection order violation, driving under the influence, possession of liquor by minor, responses for teenage dine-and-dash, collision on city street, intoxicated driver in a ditch … and more.

Human remains recovered off Kresky Avenue hillside

Tuesday, February 24th, 2015
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Detectives and the coroner’s office had to hike into the trees to recover the remains of a female.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Human remains found by a survey crew on a wooded Chehalis hillside yesterday are those of a female, but authorities don’t know who she is.

Chehalis Police Department detective Sgt. Gary Wilson said, after finishing up the recovery today, there were no indications of foul play.

Police were called about 12:45 p.m. yesterday to the 2200 block of Northeast Kresky Avenue after the discovery, about a quarter mile east of the roadway, according to police. Officers hiked into the scene and confirmed the remains were human.

Chehalis detectives, members of the Lewis County Coroner’s Office and a forensic anthropologist spent the morning today collecting evidence and making the removal.

Wilson said the mostly skeletal remains were laying out in the open. There were no signs of a transient camp or something similar, he said.

A little more than four years ago, a homeless man was found dead in his tent in the same general area. He was 67 years old and died of a complication related to cancer.

The area, east of the Yard Birds Mall, is above a swath of property where some earthmoving and cleanup is underway.

Wilson said the police department doesn’t have any missing people. He said he can estimate the individual has been dead around a year, based partly on items they found.

Personal belongings were found near the victim, police said.

The place where she was found was remote, Coroner Warren McLeod said.

“The climb was such a steep angle, the fire department put up ropes for us to hang on to so we wouldn’t fall,” he said.

Both Wilson and McLeod said they found some clues to a possible identity.

“We’re working on a lead on who this person might be,” McLeod said. “We’re going to see if we can find any local dental work or X-Rays.”

The condition of the body is such that no autopsy can be done. McLeod is arranging for the remains to be sent to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office where Dr. Kathleen Taylor, the forensic anthropologist, will examine them.

She will help to try to find out who the female is and do an examination that may help her establish a cause of death, he said.

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Police tape blocks off a trail taken to recover human remains today.

Rural Chehalis man charged with shooting up woman’s car

Monday, February 23rd, 2015
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Taylor R. Rushton goes before a judge for a bail hearing in Lewis County Superior Court.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 36-year-old Lewis County man accused of going to a female friend’s workplace and shooting up her unoccupied vehicle will get his chance to make a plea in Lewis County Superior Court on Thursday.

Taylor R. Rushton was arrested last week and ordered held on $50,000 bail.

The arrest came after an investigation of an incident that took place at the beginning of the month at the Chevron station on Mellen Street in Centralia.

Police called about 2 a.m. on Feb. 7 found several small holes in the front quarter panel of Nichole Perry’s small four-door car, according to charging documents.

Charging documents state Perry told police Rushton had shown up about 11 p.m. and accused her of taking his car key and then returned three hours later and fired upon her vehicle.

The clerk said she was inside when she saw the green truck pull up near her car, Rushton get out, pull out a handgun and shoot it four or five times, the documents state.

Charging documents say the green Ford Ranger was last seen approaching the freeway entrance; and another witness described its driver as 5-feet 8-inches tall wearing a baseball cap.

Officers recreating the scene concluded the shots were fired from a close distance and also fired towards the north, so persons walking or driving on Mellen Street could have been harmed, the documents allege.

Police believe the two are or were dating, and but when Rushton appeared in court last week, defense attorney Don Blair said both of them deny ever having any kind of relationship.

Rushton was arrested on Wednesday and on Thursday prosecutors charged him with one count of drive-by shooting, alleging it was a domestic violence incident. The maximum penalty is 10 years in prison.

Prosecutors asked for him to be held on $100,000 bail, citing the dangerousness of the incident. Blair argued against that, noting the rural Chehalis resident has lived here his whole life, has a job and owns his own home.

“He made no efforts to flee, he has no criminal history,” Blair told the judge.

Judge Nelson Hunt said the fact the two denied a dating relationship meant any motive is unknown, necessitating higher bail.

The firearm used had not been located by police, according to the court documents.

Blair said he expected Rushton was going to retain him. His arraignment is Thursday morning.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Monday, February 23rd, 2015

Updated at 8:25 p.m.

TIP JAR TAKEN, ONE ARRESTED

• Police arrested a 34-year-old man yesterday for allegedly stealing a tip jar from a business on the the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia, and found him in a car which had been reported stolen. Officers were called about 10:20 a.m. and soon after came across the suspect vehicle on Mellen Street at Ellsbury Street, according to the Centralia Police Department. James E. Reinke, described as transient, said a friend had loaned him the car but Reinke was booked into the Lewis County Jail for possession of a stolen vehicle, according to police. Some dollar bills were recovered, as well as the tip jar, according to police.

BARTENDER ASSAULTED

• A bartender that tried to detain a patron who tried to leave without paying for his food and drinks was struck in the face and the customer subsequently arrested for robbery on Friday night in Centralia. Officers called about 7:25 p.m. to the 100 block of North Tower Avenue booked Chase N. Ettner, 30, of Centralia, into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AUTO THEFT

• Chehalis police took a report about 11:40 a.m. on Saturday of a car stolen from Northwest Chehalis Avenue and Prindle Street. The 1999 red Acura Integra was found about 1 o’clock this morning parked and unoccupied at Mellen and Yew streets in Centralia. It was returned to its owner, according to police.

BURGLARY

• Someone pried open a door at a home on the 400 block of Westlake Avenue in Morton last week. Police were called about 11 a.m. on Thursday and it appeared nothing was missing, according to the Morton Police Department.

EQUIPMENT STOLEN

• Someone stole about $5,500 worth of property from a shop building on the 100 block of Highway 603 west of Chehalis sometime during the week that ended on Saturday. Among the missing items were an air compressor, pressure washer, chainsaws and a table saw, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• Welding equipment was reported stolen from the 700 block of Yew Street in Centralia on Friday morning, according to the Centralia Police Department.

OTHER THEFT

• Centralia police took a report about 10 o’clock yesterday morning regarding the theft of wheels and tires from the 1700 block of Harrison Avenue.

DRUGS

• A 33-year-old Centralia man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine when a white powdery substance was discovered after he was detained for allegedly shoplifting at Sun Bird Shopping Center on Saturday. Police responded to the approximately 11:15 a.m. report at the 1700 block of North National Avenue and booked Jesse J. Wheeler into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

ALLEGED HAY THIEF CAUGHT

• Police were called about 11 a.m. last Monday to the 100 block of Nielson Road in Mossyrock about a goat allegedly getting into a neighbor’s barn and eating their hay. The animal was accused of causing other unspecified problems as well, according to the Morton Police Department. Its owner was talked to and warned to keep the goat home or they would be cited, according to police.

ZOOM, ZOOM

• Lewis County troopers say a man caught driving some 90 mph on Interstate 5 yesterday morning, who sped away in the midst of a traffic stop was located hours later a few miles away, his car sitting on an onramp getting a jump start. Trooper Brian Ashley recognized the passenger in a black Volkswagen Passat by the description from the previous trooper’s incident and the subject nearly got away again, according to authorities. The man allegedly rammed the trooper with his shoulder, tried to throw him to the ground and then ran off, according to charging documents. A track conducted by a police dog subsequently ended with Adrian N. Alatorre in custody. Alatorre, 27, from Auburn was charged today in Lewis County Superior Court with third-degree assault, failure to obey a law enforcement officer, obstructing a law enforcement officer, making a false or misleading statement to a public servant, and third-degree driving with a suspended license. The defendant who is employed by a construction company in Bellevue, has twice been convicted of attempting to elude, according to lawyers who argued about bail today. Alatorre was ordered held on $75,000 bail.

FROM THE COURTHOUSE

• A 32-year-old Centralia father of seven was charged today with two counts of child molestation for allegedly touching a young relative’s private parts with his hands and his mouth. Jeffrey A. Bedsole Jr. was arrested on Friday following an investigation that began the week before when the 11-year-old girl’s mother contacted Centralia police. Defense attorney Joely O’Rourke told a judge today Bedsole has a stable residence with his wife and children and been in close contact with his pastor as she argued for just $10,000 bail. Lewis County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher asked for $25,000 bail for the offenses that have a maximum penalty of life in prison. Judge James Lawler set bail at $50,000. Bedsole works for a lumber company but qualifies for a court appointed lawyer, O’Rourke said. The judge also ordered he have no contact with minors or the alleged victim. His arraignment is scheduled for Thursday.

CRIME STOPPERS

• Lewis County Crime Stoppers is looking for information in connection with an arson investigation following an incident last autumn on the 700 block of South Market Boulevard in Chehalis. Sometime between 7 p.m. on Oct. 13 and 8 o’clock the following morning, someone tried to burn debris and a plastic trash container at the back of a building. Crime Stoppers pays up to $1,000 for information leading to the clearance of crimes. Anonymous calls can be made to 1-800-748-6422 or information may be shared online at www.lewiscountycrimestoppers.org

AND MORE

• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants,  misdemeanor assault, reckless driving, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarms, dispute, misdemeanor theft, suspicious circumstances, collisions on city streets … and more.

Lewis County online for sale site leads to robbery at Capitol Mall

Monday, February 23rd, 2015

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

A group of Centralia-area residents are in trouble after they allegedly robbed two individuals who thought they were meeting at the Capitol Mall in Olympia to purchase a car advertised on a Lewis County online for-sale site.

The victims were going to buy a Honda Accord for $1,500 but were approached in the parking lot by two males armed with handguns, according to the Olympia Police Department.

They relinquished the cash they’d brought and then followed a red VW Jetta the men got into and called 911, according to police.

It happened just before 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Arriving officers caught up to one of two backseat passengers who ran away on foot and other officers stopped the Jetta as it entered the onramp to Highway 101, according to police.

The female driver and a juvenile passenger were detained.

Arrested and booked into the Thurston County Jail for first-degree robbery were the driver, Kirstan A. Flat, 19, of Chehalis, and Joshua L. Meza, 18, from Winlock, according to police. Lt. Jim Costa initially described the group as from the Centralia area.

The juvenile in the front passenger seat was later released to a parent, and Costa said he’s not sure what the juvenile’s involvement was.

Police this morning were actively searching for the fourth suspect who had fled the car on foot, according to Costa.

No injuries were reported and it’s not clear if the suspects actually had an Accord to sell.

Mystery of Onalaska coffin revealed, again

Saturday, February 21st, 2015
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The coroner and his deputies take a look at a casket stuck in a creek off the Newaukum River just east of Onalaska.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

ONALASKA – The caravan left the coroner’s office at 8:30 a.m., sharp, today.

Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod and nine members of his team set out on a mission to retrieve a casket discovered partially submerged in a creek last weekend, get it opened up and deal with whatever they found inside.

If it contained somebody’s loved one, the work would begin to figure out who it was and how to get them and their coffin back into their original burial plot.

If it was empty but suspected of once containing a body, McLeod would still have to find out who the previous occupant was, where they had previously been laid to rest and then tell their family that the remains had likely slipped out and been carried downstream.

When he visited the site earlier this week, he could see the lid was damaged, and knew it was possible any remains had been swept away.

The area, a little more than three miles east on state Route 508, beyond Onalaska’s center, has seen flooding several times in recent years.

The hope was, McLeod would find clues that the steel container was the one that once belonged to a pirate.

A SeaFair pirate, who until a few years ago lived near the South Fork of the Newaukum River, with the help of his wife, transformed a never-yet-used casket into fancy outdoor storage for bottles of liquor, ice and whatever bounty such men would need when they sat around a campfire and smoked cigars.

Susan and Pat Patterson lost their casket-turned-bar after a flood several years ago.

The property where they once lived is, as it turns out, one or two addresses upstream from the caravan’s destination.

Robert and Robin Bryan relocated last summer to a home on seven acres on the south side of state Route 508.

He said today, a neighbor notified him the other day he’d found a casket in the creek behind their home. His wife said they needed to report it to authorities.

“I told him, if there was somebody still in it, they needed respect, needed dignity,” Robin Bryan said.

The caravan arrived just before 9 a.m. to the Bryan’s property, and with shovels in hand, the coroner’s team set out.

Robert Bryan and his 8-year-old granddaughter Crystina Rollins, accompanied them down a brushy, muddy path to the creek.

“You can see it just beyond that sink,” he said.

Previous flood events have left a variety of odd objects in the shallow creek.

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The bottom side of the river-colored steel casket shows an orange-ish tint. Deputy Coroner Sarah Hockett says she can’t see inside, even though it appears one half of a “split-top” may be missing.

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Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod sees the arriving half dozen members of Lewis County Search and Rescue just before 9 a.m. and points to their target.

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Deputy Gabe Frase, red plaid, brings a cable out to attach to the coffin. Chains are wrapped around it. A couple of neighbors have joined those on the creek’s bank to watch.

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Deputy Sgt. Alan Stull pilots the Polaris four-wheeler, a piece of equipment obtained from the military, which has been outfitted with “tracks” to replace its wheels. He revs up the motor as he begins to pull, and the casket starts to rise from its resting place.

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The news media is there.

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Stull pauses, as deputy coroners decide they must dig around the casket first to loosen it further from the grip of the creek bottom. Stull then resumes pulling it toward him.

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The casket has been flipped right side up. “I’ve always wondered what’s in that,” Onalaska Elementary School third-grader Crystina Rollins says. “I’m hoping nothing.” Deputy Curt Spahn pries up the top of the casket.

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They see a mound of mud and gravel inside.

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The see what they think is an ice bucket inside. / Courtesy photo by Lewis County Coroner’s Office

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Bingo. They pull out pieces of particle board, with holes bored out, just the size a bottle of rum could sit in. Mystery solved. “This is good,” McLeod says. “We didn’t want it to be somebody.” The time is 10 a.m.

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Deputy coroners examine the interior further. I don’t know why. Maybe hoping to find some pirate loot.

They decide to leave the casket where it lay.

“It’s not occupied, so I don’t have a problem with it,” Robert Bryan said.

The members of the search and rescue team return to their day of winter training elsewhere in the county.

Long time coordinator of the group, Sheriff’s Deputy Gene Seiber said, before departing, he does not recall the Patterson’s pirate casket turning up after the big 2007 flood.

If several years from now, the container is swept away again and found again, it won’t be a closed casket that causes another mystery, since it doesn’t have a lid, Seiber suggested.

Robin Bryan brings out cinnamon rolls for the coroner’s group.

Mission accomplished.

Postscript: Robin Bryan calls a news reporter to say she informed her landlord of what transpired. The landlord handles the estate of the man who previously resided there, and has died, she said.

“She got quite a laugh out of it,” Robin Bryan said. “She said, ‘It’s still there? He knew all about it.’ ”

The former owner had discovered the casket on his property at one time in the past, and reported it, Robin Bryan said. And then it was just left there, she said.

“She got a big laugh out of it, and said I’m so glad you handled that,” she said.

•••

For background, read:

• “Coffin discovered in Lewis County creek” from Tuesday February 17, 2015, here

• “Search and rescue to attempt recovery of partially submerged coffin” from Friday February 20, 2015, here