JUST ODD STUFF
• A 35-year-old Centralia man was arrested about 2 p.m. yesterday after he allegedly walked into traffic at West Main Street and Harrison in Centralia and intentionally hit a passing vehicle. Ranier P. Wagner was booked into the Lewis County Jail for disorderly conduct and malicious mischief, according to the Centralia Police Department.
• A 33-year-old homeless man was arrested yesterday morning after he was allegedly threatening people as he rode his bike in the area of the 1700 block of Cooks Hill Road in Centralia. Terry L. Bryan, who is from Chehalis, appeared to be under the influence of some type of drugs and was booked into the Lewis County for disorderly conduct, according to the Centralia Police Department.
• A 49-year-old Centralia woman was arrested for disorderly conduct around noon Wednesday when police discovered she was walking in the middle of the street at North Tower Avenue and East Pine Street in Centralia. Barbara A. Heppe was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department. Heppe was booked for the same thing last week and the week before.
DOMESTIC DISPUTE
• Centralia police arrested a 36-year-old Centralia man about 7 p.m. yesterday after he allegedly physically prevented his wife from leaving their home during an argument. Robert D. Hutcherson was booked into the Lewis County Jail for unlawful imprisonment, but released from jail this afternoon.
DRUGS
• Centralia police arrested two people about 6:20 a.m. today for possession of methamphetamine and fourth-degree domestic assault. Nathaniel S. McDrummond, and Kayla K. Cunha, both 24 and both homeless were booked into the Lewis County Jail after contact with officers at the 1000 block of Eckerson Road, according to the Centralia Police Department.
THEFT
• Centralia police took a report on Tuesday afternoon that someone broke into the Borst home on the 2500 block of Pioneer Way and stole a clock.
• A deputy was called yesterday to vacant residential property on the 100 block of Nikula Road West in Winlock where someone had broken in and left with three folding chairs and a cable box sometime since noon the day before. Damaged were two windows and a mercury vapor light, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
• Centralia police were called to the 500 block of South Tower Avenue on Tuesday afternoon where someone had attempted to break into a shop and likely got an electric shock when they cut a large wire outside, according to the Centralia Police Department.
• A utility trailer and tools were reported stolen on Tuesday from the 300 block of N Street in Centralia, according to police.
UPDATE FROM THE COURTHOUSE
• Murder defendant Weston G. Miller is scheduled for a change of plea this coming Wednesday, not for the murder count but for the second-degree unlawful possession of firearms charges which were filed at the same time after his house guest was fatally shot a year ago in his Centralia home. Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher said yesterday it was at the request of Miller and Miller’s attorney and he presumed it was for “strategic” reasons. Miller’s trial for first-degree murder in the death of 43-year-old David Wayne Carson is still on the calendar for the week of April 15. He was initially charged with five counts of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm but one of those has been dropped by prosecutors. Meagher said a gun has to actually be a functioning firearm but police were afraid to test fire it.
AUTHORITIES POINT TO WALL HEATER IN COUNTY SHOP FIRE
• The fire that destroyed the Lewis County road department shop east of Glenoma on Friday night appears to have originated with a 10-15-year-old Cadet heater. Whether it malfunctioned, there was an electrical issue or perhaps over time dried out the wood behind it isn’t yet known, according to Paulette Young who is the risk and safety administrator for the county. Young described the heater as one that was installed in the wall, set at a certain temperature and generally left turned on. The large metal building and its contents are a total loss, she said. Among the items destroyed were four 12-yard dump trucks, two front-end loaders, other heavy equipment, trucks and smaller tools, according to Young. The new replacement value for the equipment alone would be around $2 million, Lewis County public works director and county engineer Tim Elsea said today. Elsea said a temporary office has been set up on the site, with power getting hooked up to it today. “It’s definitely a tragedy, without a doubt,” Elsea said. “Seeing those guys go through it is very hard.” About nine road department employees begin and end their workdays at the site, where their tools were stored, he said. The heater was originally put in a room with a well head, but since was used to keep sandbags dry, according to Young. Elsea said he’s asked supervisors to go out and make sure they don’t have those types of heaters installed in any of the other four similar shops around the county. Elsea said he didn’t know when the last time was the county fire marshal inspected the building. They won’t know the final cost of the fire until after they meet with their insurers next week.
AND MORE
• And more, such as arrests for DUIs, shoplifting, trespassing, warrants, misdemeanor assaults; responses for non-injury collisions, burglary alarms, broken window, suspicious people, and concerns about an upset former patient calling Steck Clinics … and more.