Updated at 5:33 p.m.
FISHING BOATS WRECK
• One boat is sunk but nobody drowned after a rear-end collision on the Cowlitz River yesterday afternoon. It happened about 5 p.m. approximately 300 yards downstream from the Blue Creek boat launch. Two men from Bellingham said they were fishing and both jumped into the water to avoid getting struck, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. A 45-year-old man from Renton piloting a 19-foot Alumaweld said he and his three passengers were heading upriver and he didn’t see the other boat until it was too late, according to the sheriff’s office. He said he rescued the two men, Chief Stacy Brown said. The un-named man was cited for reckless boating, Brown said. None were wearing life jackets, according to the sheriff’s office.
TRUCKS STRIPPED OF BATTERIES, FUEL
• Someone siphoned about 100 gallons of diesel fuel from trucks parked in a commercial equipment yard on the 2000 block of Little Hanford Road outside Centralia sometime between Friday and yesterday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The 58-year-old victim said also four six-volt truck batteries were missing, according to the sheriff’s office. Security cameras are going to be installed to prevent a repeat, Chief Deputy Stacy Brown said today.
CHAINSAW STOLEN FROM ELDERLY MAN
• A 90-year-old Centralia resident called the sheriff’s office after he discovered his hardly-used Stihl MS 16-inch chainsaw last left on his workbench in a carport shed was gone. The theft occurred on the 3500 block of Harrison Avenue sometime since August but before last Thursday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
BREAK-IN CENTRALIA
• Centralia police were called about 3:50 p.m. yesterday about a burglary at the the 100 block of South Oak Street. The investigation continues, according to the Centralia Police Department.
NO NEED TO PICK POCKET
• Chehalis police were called about 1 p.m. yesterday regarding a wallet that disappeared from a cart when its owner turned away, at the 100 block of Northeast Hampe Way.
STRANGER TAKES PHONE
• Centralia police report a case of third-degree malicious mischief in which an unknown male grabbed an individual’s cell phone and broke it at the the 500 block of Harrison Avenue about 5:30 p.m. yesterday. Further details were not readily available.
TAX FILING FRAUD
• Chehalis police were called yesterday afternoon by an individual trying to file his taxes who discovered his social security number had been used to file a tax return.
CHIMNEY FIRE
• A buildup of creosote on a wood stove door ignited causing a chimney fire at the 300 block of Jefferson Street in Centralia yesterday evening. Firefighters called about 7:40 p.m. report flames were seen at the roof but the fire was contained to the chimney. It had not been cleaned, according to Riverside Fire Authority.
STRANGERS IN CARS
• Winlock schools sent out a letter last week reminding families it’s a good time to talk with children about strangers, following reports of possible attempted child lurings in Pe Ell and also Vader. There’s no reason to think they are related, according to district superintendent Shannon Criss, but warmer weather and more time spent out of doors just around the corner, prompted her to suggest adults should talk with their children about what to do if they feel they may be in danger. Criss said she learned from the high school principal about the Vader incident and asked him to report it to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Stacy Brown yesterday said she learned from Sheriff’s Office Cmdr. Dusty Breen that three boys walking home from school in Vader some days earlier said a car stopped and asked if they needed a ride. Brown said the boys gave three different descriptions of the color and kind of car. “It may not have been luring, it may have been someone legitimately asking if they wanted a ride,” Brown said. “We don’t know if it was a nefarious situation.” But, Brown said, parents ought to talk with kids about personal safety. Most youngsters have cell phones, and the first call they should make is to 911, so law enforcement can get in the area quickly to check, and the second call should be to their parents, Brown said. Superintendent Criss offered these tips:
• Tell an adult immediately if they see someone or something that makes them worry or feel uncomfortable.
• Stay with friends and travel in pairs or groups, if possible.
• Avoid short cuts and stay on the main roads where you are visible.
• Always get the teacher’s permission to leave school.
AND MORE
• And as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor assault, protection order violation, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, disputes, misdemeanor theft, hit and run, suspicious circumstances; girls fighting after getting off a school bus, an individual asking for help getting to a shelter … and more.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
They’ve buzzed above Chehalis after dark a number of times over the past month, too, and that’s not the first time.
The same thing was going on in Port Angeles a couple years ago: Chinook copters buzzed town late at night (the locals there weren’t advised, either) and residents, including the mayor and county sheriff, got upset enough to get some news stories out of it and an apology from the Army.
Interesting how they’ll do this to smaller population centers and leave Seattle and Tacoma alone, but not surprising.
there are military chopperss flying all around Onalaska .just over tree top.i can hear them and one flew just over my house on its side. making a half circle.