Archive for February, 2018

News brief: Centralia man airlifted after tire hits car

Friday, February 23rd, 2018
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Northbound I-5 near milepost 75 / Courtesy photo by Lewis County Fire District 6

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS –  A Centralia driver was critically injured when an errant tire smashed his windshield as he was traveling on Interstate 5 just south of Chehalis yesterday afternoon.

Troopers and aid called just after 4:35 p.m. found the Kia Sorento about 150 feet off the side of the northbound lanes, in a swampy area, according to responders.

Valdemar Sebastian, 51, of Centralia, was transported to the Chehalis Airport and flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to Lewis County Fire District 6.

His passenger sustained non-life threatening injuries and was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to District spokesperson DJ Hammer. Analorena Jimenez Morales, 46, also of Centralia, was treated and has been transferred, a hospital spokesperson said this morning.

Sebastian had been heading northbound when a tire and wheel came off a southbound 1995 Ford Escort, bounced over the median and hit his car, according to the Washington State Patrol.

The 26-year-old Lacey man, Joseph A. Miranda, behind the wheel of the Escort, was uninjured, according to the state patrol.

The incident is under investigation by the state patrol.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Thursday, February 22nd, 2018
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•••

FREEZER RAID

• Deputies dispatched to a possible burglary in progress about 7:30 p.m. yesterday found the residents’ neighbor inside their garage, allegedly removing frozen meat from their freezer and stuffing it into his coat pockets and backpack, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Curtis J. Farrier, 51, reportedly admitted to twice before doing the same thing at the same place, on the 100 block of Roe Road in Winlock, according to the sheriff’s office. Farrier was arrested for three counts of second-degree burglary and also for possession of methamphetamine and was booked into the Lewis County Jail, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said.

THREAT

• A 16-year-old girl was arrested for harassment and booked into the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center yesterday after she allegedly threatened to harm staff at the 800 block of Eshom Road in Centralia, according to the Centralia Police Department.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• A 77-year-old Centralia man was arrested after he allegedly he drove his vehicle off of the roadway at the 1200 block of North Gold Street in Centralia and fled the scene yesterday. Officers called about 6:45 p.m. located Francisco Dado-Contreras nearby and booked him into the Lewis County Jail for driving under the influence and for hit and run, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license, driving with no license; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, shoplifting, hit and run, vehicle collision, misdemeanor assault, suspicious circumstances, misdemeanor theft … and more among 143 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Wednesday, February 21st, 2018
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•••

Updated

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• A 46-year-old Centralia man behind the wheel of a 1998 Toyota RAV4 had a possibly broken arm after his vehicle rolled at least once in icy conditions along Northwest Louisiana Avenue just north of Airport Road in Chehalis yesterday. Deputies and aid called just before 8 p.m. found the Toyota was totaled. He and his passenger, a 31-year-old man the sheriff’s office said was uninjured, were both transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to the Chehalis Fire Department.

• A 26-year-old Winlock man was arrested after a single-vehicle wreck in which four people were injured last night along the 600 block of Winlock-Vader Road. Nicholas R. Dafoe appeared to have been under the influence and traveling too fast on the icy road, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies called about 6:45 p.m. found the  2013 GMC was totaled, according to the sheriff’s office. Defoe sustained a minor injury but his passengers included a 22-year-old man who got a broken nose and two black eyes, according to the sheriff’s office. Also in the vehicle were a 1-year-old child and a 4-year-old child, Chief Dusty Breen said. Dafoe was booked into the Lewis County Jail for three counts of vehicular assault, Breen said. The case will be referred for possible additional charges of driving under the influence and reckless endangerment, Breen said.

BREAK-IN

• Centralia police were called for a burglary to a business at the 300 block of West Main Street about 3:45 p.m. yesterday. Money and tools were reported stolen, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Police were called to the 1200 block of Mellen Street in Centralia yesterday for a break-in to a business in which hair cutting tools and clothing items were taken.

• Chehalis police were called following the discovery of a burglary to a business just after 7 a.m. on Monday at the 1400 block of Northwest Airport Road. A cash register containing approximately $2,000 was stolen and found empty a short distance away, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• A deputy was called to the 100 block of Knowles Road in Winlock on Sunday afternoon by an individual who discovered rods, reels and tackle were taken from an unlocked outbuilding days earlier while he was in the process of moving, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

• The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office reported yesterday they were investigating a break-in to an outbuilding at the 100 block of Burchett Road in Onalaska. A deputy was called to the property on Thursday after a door was found wide open and a window broken but it wasn’t clear yet if anything was missing, according to the sheriff’s office.

THEFT

• A photographer working at a dog show over the weekend at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds called Chehalis police yesterday to report she had left her camera bag on one of the tables there, a bag containing about $16,000 worth of items.

• A clerk was reportedly assaulted when trying to stop suspected shoplifters at the 2300 block of North Pearl Street in Centralia just before 7:25 p.m. on Monday, according to the Centralia Police Department. A male and female had stolen deodorant, according to police. A backpack was dropped which contained identification.

• Chehalis police were called regarding a second-degree theft at the 1600 block of  Northwest Louisiana Avenue at about 9:40 a.m. on Friday.

VEHICLE THEFT

• Deputies called about 3:30 a.m. yesterday for a 1988 Toyota pickup just stolen from the 100 block of Fisher Road in Glenoma located the vehicle near Kosmos Road and a K-9 track led them to a home about two miles away. After they served a search warrant for the suspect at the 1100 block of Davis Lake Road in Morton. Jeremy D. Smathers, 30, from Morton, was arrested and taken to jail, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Three people there who refused to come to the door were arrested for second-degree rendering criminal assistance, according to the sheriff’s office. Also booked into the Lewis County Jail were the three Morton residents: Amber D. Dittebrandt, 35, Jacob E. Thompson, 42, and Daryl L. Wright, 55, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said.

• A burning stolen silver 2011 Honda Accord was still smoldering when it was found on Sunday on a logging road off Echo Road outside of Rochester,  according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The car went missing from the 1200 block of Centralia Avenue between Thursday and Friday, according to the sheriff’s office.

FRAUD

• Centralia police were called about 9:20 a.m. yesterday to take a report of unauthorized charges made on an individual’s bank account in a case associated with the 2200 block of Cooks Hill Road.

• A 40-year-old Centralia man who allegedly gave someone else’s name as his own during a traffic stop at Jackson Highway near North Fork Road about 10:30 p.m. on Monday was found to have an outstanding warrant and was arrested for identity theft. Chad R. Crow was was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

FAKE BILL

• Chehalis police were called to collect a counterfeit $100 bill from a retail business at the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue at about 11:25 a.m. on Monday.

CAR PROWL

• A snowboard was stolen from the bed of a pickup truck parked at the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia, according to a report made to police at 3:15 p.m. yesterday.

• A Saris brand bike rack was stolen from the back of a pickup truck at the 1200 Alder Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 11:20 a.m. on Monday.

DRUGS

• A 19-year-old Seattle resident was arrested for possession of methamphetamine after police were called about 2:30 p.m. yesterday about a patient acting strangely at the 500 block of Southeast Adams Avenue in Chehalis. Jennifer A. Whipple was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• A 36-year-old Toledo woman picked up on Friday for an outstanding warrant was arrested when a strip search at the Lewis County Jail revealed a plastic baggie with a substance believed to be heroin. Michelle L. Price was booked into jail for possession of a controlled substance, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, disorderly conduct, driving with suspended license, misdemeanor assault, probation violation, third-degree theft, failure to register vehicle, failure to register as a sex offender, third-degree domestic malicious mischief; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, vandalism, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances, misdemeanor theft … and more among 307 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 48-hour period ending about 7 a.m.

News brief: Snow leads to crash, burning truck on I-5

Wednesday, February 21st, 2018

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS –  Interstate 5 was shut down in both directions last night when a semi truck wrecked in the snow, crashed and caught on fire near Winlock.

The driver was injured but not hospitalized, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Troopers called at 8:37 p.m. to the scene at milepost 63 found the northbound 2013 Freightliner with a loaded box trailer was totaled.

The truck had been northbound when the driver lost control in the snow and struck the jersey barrier, according to the state patrol. It came to rest in the median and caught fire.

Harpreet Singh, 39, from Kent, was cited for speed too fast for conditions.

Washington State Department of Transportation indicated the scene was cleared at 4:22 a.m.

State patrol spokesperson Trooper Will Finn this morning tweeted troopers responded to 15 crashes in Lewis County since 5 p.m. yesterday.

Guest column: A veterans tale

Monday, February 19th, 2018

By Darrin Corson
Onalaska, Wash.

My country sends me to foreign lands
To fight wars and push their demands.
These battles I have seen with my own eye
My comrades fighting some of them die.
The blood, the fire, the screams of all kind
Some things will never leave my mind.

I come home to the country I adore
My friends tell me I am not the same anymore.
I tell only few my deepest fears
God the pain to me its so near!
I am not mean it just makes me sad
I am a veteran and done things really bad.
No way to cope no way to think
Really bad this time, I need a drink!

Drinking to numb and try to forget
Those things I swore I would protect.
Drinking too much I know isn’t the way
But it’s how I cope with any new day.
Drinking daily now, my life is a mess
Now I know true loneliness.
Drinking has now turned me mean
Police almost daily called to the scene.
Too drunk to think and ready to fight
Off I go to jail this night!

In the cell I see a mess.
A once proud soldier, I think at best.
My life hurts too much can’t you see?
God why are you doing this to me?
My mind is scattered and gone array.
Come fight me God! Today is the day!

I leave the jail. I’ve done my time
I have hurt people when I said I was kind.
I have lied, I have stole, I was mean and cheated.
God showed me how much I was depleted.
The fight God showed me wasn’t with him.
It is with me deep within.

He told me my life is a gift.
I asked why I got stiffed?
He laughed and said “you need care”
“Now go find me again, right over there.”

I walked in to a strange meeting
Of happy people sitting and eating.
I asked if this was A.A?
Yep, have a seat, why don’t you stay?
I had people tell me their life.
It was strange but kinda nice.
Their stories were something like mine
And it was possible to be happy over time.
First thing I should do is get a book
Life can be awesome, take a look.

It has been four years since my last drink
Life is tons better as I stop and think.
I have stayed sober and haven’t gone astray.
Thank you God, my friends and the program of A.A.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

Monday, February 19th, 2018
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•••

ASSAULT

• A 28-year-old Centralia man, Shane M. Mendoza, was picked up just after 9 p.m. yesterday on the 700 block of East Locust Street in Centralia for the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office in a case regarding second-degree assault, felony harassment and interfering with reporting domestic violence, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Centralia police said on Saturday morning they were investigating alleged assaults and one person possibly bitten by a dog at the 500 block of North Rock Street from the afternoon before. Neighbors reported hearing the sound of a door being kicked in and loud banging in the apartment building at about 5 p.m., according to police.

THEFT, THEFT

• Centralia police were called about 4:10 p.m. yesterday to a business at the 1600 block of Harrison Avenue where several flashlights had been stolen, and a female suspect observed on surveillance images.

• Police were called to the 300 block of West Oakview Avenue in Centralia to take a report of the report of the theft of medication at about 11:30 a.m. on Friday.

DRUGS

• A 27-year-old Centralia man picked up about 12:05 a.m. on Sunday at the 400 block of North Tower Avenue for outstanding warrants was also arrested for possession of heroin. Tyler M. Baker was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VANDALISM

• A window was broken out of a parked truck at the 900 block of L Street in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 10:30 a.m. on Friday.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• Two people were hurt when a 2001 GMC Yukon northbound on Interstate 5 east of Winlock tried to avoid running onto vehicles stopped for traffic and changed lanes striking a Subaru Forester, a Pontiac G6 and then a Kia Soul yesterday. Troopers called just after 1 p.m. to the scene near milepost 63 cited Brandon M. Ault, 39, from Grayland for negligent driving, according to the Washington State Patrol. His 45-year-old female passenger from Tacoma and the 65-year-old woman behind the wheel of the Subaru were transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to the state patrol. All but the Kia were totaled.

• A 22-year-old Centralia man allegedly nearly struck a police officer’s vehicle and was stopped for traffic violations just about 3 o’clock on Saturday morning at Borst Avenue and Johnson Road in Centralia. Ian J. Johnson was arrested for driving under the influence and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• It was believed a driver may have suffered a medical incident that caused his vehicle to roll away from a drive through at the 600 block of West Main Street in Centralia just before 11 p.m. on Friday and strike a building across the roadway, according to the Centralia Police Department. There was minor damage to the building and vehicle, according to police.

• Centralia police were called just after 8 a.m. on Friday when a passenger vehicle rear ended a school bus at Main and Cedar streets. There were five passengers on the bus but were no injuries, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, hit and run, disorderly conduct, driving with suspended license, driving under the influence, misdemeanor domestic assault; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, harassment, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances, misdemeanor theft … and more among 402 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 72-hour period ending about 7 a.m.

Boy climbs 30 feet up tree to reach cat, gets stuck

Sunday, February 18th, 2018
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Child gets secured with rope by firefighter for retrieval from fir tree in Centralia. / Courtesy photo by Riverside Fire Authority

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Centralia firefighters rescued a boy who climbed a tree to rescue a cat and got stuck about 30 feet above the ground today.

A crew called about 12:15 p.m. to the 2500 block of Colonial Drive west of Providence Centralia Hospital found the child standing on and clinging to some branches, according to Riverside Fire Authority.

The 11-year-old boy was trying to catch a cat that had been in the fir tree for an extended period of time, according to the fire department. He wasn’t injured, but was afraid to climb back down, according to Fire Capt. Scott Weinert.

They attempted to use their ladder truck to reach the boy, but the tree was far enough off the road, they couldn’t because the truck needed to be parked on the road. The Chehalis Fire Department’s ladder truck had the same issue, according to Weinert.

A firefighter climbed the tree while rigged with a climbing harness and rope. He reached the victim, secured him to the rope and they descended together.

The 11-year-old was cold, but unharmed, Weinert said. He was checked by medics and released to his mother.

The cat found its own way to the ground during the rescue operation.