Centralia officer facing gun-wielding man goes hands-on

March 16th, 2017

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A suspect during a foot chase who turned and pointed a pistol at the officer behind him in Centralia yesterday is booked into the Lewis County Jail for first-degree assault.

The officer was close enough to reach out and push the gun away and grab the man’s hand then a struggle ensued for control of the weapon, according to the Centralia Police Department.

Centralia police Sgt. Tracy Murphy said it took three officers wresting with the subject almost four minutes before they were able to cuff him. It happened behind the Rite Aid store at Harrison Avenue and Johnson Road.

Once police recovered the gun to clear it, they realized it was a BB gun, Murphy said.

It looked like a Smith and Wesson semi-automatic, he said.

Mark E. Grover, 35, of Sequim, had several outstanding warrants and also was found to be in possession of methamphetamine, according to police.

It’s only by the grace of God Grover wasn’t shot for his actions, according to Murphy.

Had Sgt. Brian Warren been two steps farther behind the guy when the gun appeared, that would have changed everything, he said.

“A split second decision,” Murphy said. “Do I try to beat the guy to the draw or get the gun out of my face.”

The reason for the encounter was a 911 call just before 9:30 a.m. about a suspected car prowler in the parking lot of Safeway; police were told a person was trying car doors, according to Murphy. Witnesses advised 911 of where the suspect headed and Sgt. Warren was the first to arrive, tried to cut him off and then gave chase on foot, he said.

Numerous officers arrived quickly, according to Murphy.

The suspect was taken by ambulance to be checked out, because of the potential effects of the combination of being under the influence of drugs and a prolonged fight, Murphy said. Then he was booked into the jail.

Grover is very fortunate the situation worked out the way it did, Murphy said.

“In the end, we’re very grateful it happened that way,” he said. “He (Warren) is glad it went that way.”

Grover is tentatively scheduled to go before a judge this afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court.

Group of Green Hill inmates charged in adult court for brawl

March 15th, 2017
2017.0314.fourghriot9343 ltr Juan D. Martinez-Sanchez, Angel Flores and Adrian Pimentel Jr.

Brian Mendoza-Laureano Zuniga, in red, faces a judge while his three companions, in orange, from Green Hill School await their turns.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Five student-inmates from Green Hill School are charged with prison riot for an allegedly gang-related melee that broke out in the dining hall of the state juvenile incarceration facility in Chehalis.

The incident that occurred on Aug. 11 was investigated by the Chehalis Police Department and the suspects subsequently charged in Lewis County Superior Court. Four of them were brought before a judge yesterday afternoon.

Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Joel DeFazio said the fifth defendant has since been transferred into the custody of the state Department of Corrections and would be transported to a court hearing on Friday.

“We want all five of them to be arraigned at the same time,” DeFazio told the judge.

Charging documents in the case include statements from six different staff members involved in breaking up the fighting. The attackers were described as Surenos and their targets Nortenos.

One staff member recounted that as dinner was ending, he saw nearly all the Maple A and B Wing residents moving, running and one even climbing over a divider wall to get near or assault rival residents on the other side. One of the staff was reportedly kicked in the face as he tried to protect a resident, according to the documents.

Green Hill School off Southwest 11th Street provides services to as many as 185 male youth incarcerated in the Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration for a wide range of felony offenses. They range in age from 15 to 20 years old. A signifiant portion of youth held at Green Hill will finish their sentences in an adult prison.

Yesterday, Brian Mendoza-Laureano Zuniga, now 19, was brought to court via the Lewis County Jail from the state Department of Corrections where he has transferred since the event in August.

Three of them were brought to court from Green Hill School and were to return there after the hearing until their next court date. They are: Angel Flores, 19; Adrian Pimentel Jr., 20; and Juan D. Martinez-Sanchez, 19.

Pimentel is additionally charged with custodial assault, a crime with a maximum penalty of five years.

Not present was Eduardo Humberto Moreneo who is expected Friday.

Charging documents do not make note of what offenses the defendants are currently serving time for. The documents don’t give information about the alleged victims, such as their ages and make no mention of any injuries.

Prison riot is described as two or more inmates together using force, violence or threats of such to disturb the good order of the institution, contrary to commands of officers. It has a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Authorities reached out to the Chehalis Police Department the following day, requesting contact about a “major youth disturbance” the night before.

The arraignments are scheduled for March 23.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

March 15th, 2017
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•••

FIREARMS MISSING FROM HOME

• Two handguns, two rifles and an air rifle were reported stolen in a burglary in Glenoma yesterday evening. A deputy arriving to the 100 block of Uden Road East about 8:45 p.m. learned the guns had all been in plain site and another rifle was moved but left behind, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. It appeared that sometime between 6 p.m. and 7:20 p.m., someone entered through an unlocked door, according to the sheriff’s office. The loss is estimated at $5,000.

ASSAULT INVESTIGATION

• Centralia police were called about 3:55 p.m. yesterday to the 900 block of South Scheuber Road where a patient reported she was assaulted at a health care facility, according to the Centralia Police Department. The case is under investigation, according to police.

THEFT, THEFT

• An officer was called to the 600 block of Centralia College Boulevard about 1:50 p.m. yesterday to take a report of the theft of a welding helmet, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Centralia police were called just before 10:30 a.m. yesterday for a car prowl at the 100 block of West Third Street. A bag of tools was reported taken from an unlocked vehicle, according to the Centralia Police Department.

SHAKE IT UP

• A 3.2 magnitude earthquake was recorded yesterday afternoon just south of Riffe Lake. The 4:43 p.m. event occurred just over eight miles south southwest of Morton and was just over seven miles deep, according to the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• Centralia police investigated a vehicle vs. bicycle collision without injury at the 800 block of Harrison Avenue about 4 p.m. yesterday.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, hit and run, third-degree theft; responses for alarm, dispute, hit and run, civil issue, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances … and more among 136 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

News brief: Crime Stoppers lives

March 14th, 2017

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The board of Olympia/Thurston County Crime Stoppers voted this morning to approve a name change to coincide with its expanded mission which includes Lewis County.

Crime Stoppers of Lewis County shut down last summer after more than two decades of operation.

While the program to the north has sort of taken this area under its wing, the new name will reflect that, according to Lewis County Undersheriff Wes Rethwill.

They will call themselves Crime Stoppers of South Sound, he said.

Already, anyone here in Lewis County who wants to turn in an anonymous tip – and potentially be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward, can call them, according to Rethwill.

Rethwill said the group has also taken Mason County “under its wing.” They will also be adding one new board position, he said.

“For us, it’s exciting, because we still have access to the crime stoppers,” he said.

The number is 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

March 14th, 2017
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•••

Updated

DRUGS AND STUFF

• Two people were arrested yesterday for allegedly trying to pass a “bad check” at a bank at the 1400 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue in Chehalis and then allegedly having suspected heroin inside their car. An officer responding to the approximately 3:15 p.m. call contacted Richard D. Hill, 42, and Holly N. Petrich, 26, both from Oakville, and then booked them into the Lewis County Jail for forgery and possession of a controlled substance, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• A 38-year-old homeless person arrested about 1 p.m. yesterday at the 300 block of Lowe Street in Centralia for an outstanding warrant was also arrested for possession of methamphetamine. Nathan J. J. Hayes was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

GUN CRIME

• A 30-year-old Chehalis resident was arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm after allegedly trying to sell another person a Derringer-style handgun yesterday. An officer responding to the 300 block of Southwest Chehalis Avenue following the 9:40 a.m. call contacted Amadi A. Shaw, discovered an outstanding warrant and booked Shaw into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

VANDALISM

• An individual called police from the 700 block of South Gold Street in Centralia about 5:05 p.m. yesterday to report her cable television wires had been intentionally cut.

SCHOOL ISSUES

• Centralia police were called at 4:05 p.m. yesterday regarding an alleged assault by a 12-year-old boy on an 11-year-old boy, in a case associated with the Washington Elementary School a the 800 block of Field Avenue. An officer had been called at 11:05 a.m. there to a report a 12-year-old struck two staff members, according to the Centralia Police Department. The child was booked into the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center, according to police.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• Chehalis police were called at 4:45 p.m. yesterday after a vehicle struck a building at the 1200 block of South Market Boulevard. Two males fled, a female stayed behind and said she did not know who was driving, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Danielle S. Sprayberry, 28, of Chehalis, however was arrested for making a false statement, and then released, according to police.

• A 30-year-old driver reportedly fell asleep before his semi truck drifted to the right shoulder, hit a guard rail and rolled onto its side early this morning on Interstate 5 in Chehalis. The approximately 4 a.m. crash along the northbound lanes near exit 76 left the driver uninjured, but responders had to cut the windshield of the 2015 Peterbilt to extricate him. Jaswant Singh, from Yuba City, California, was fatigued and for that, he was issued a citation for second-degree negligent driving, according to the Washington State Patrol. The semi had no hazardous materials on board, only broccoli, according to the Chehalis Fire Department.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, third-degree theft, probation violation, protection order violation, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, hit and run, civil issue, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances … and more among 139 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

March 13th, 2017
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•••

Updated at 5:34 p.m.

WSP: TROOPER ON FOOT CAPTURES SPEEDING MOTORCYCLIST

• A 19-year-old motorcyclist told a trooper he was just out for a ride after being tracked at speeds in excess of 100 mph on northbound Interstate 5 by 911 callers near Kelso, near Chehalis and the trooper who waited near milepost 83 yesterday morning. The trooper reportedly accelerated to speeds of up to 150 mph and could see the motorcyclist ahead weaving in and out of traffic, using all available lanes and splitting lanes between vehicles, according to the report as conveyed to Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Joel DeFazio. The trooper was able to get within a quarter mile of the motorcycle when it began to pull away from him, DeFazio wrote. Both exited at the Maytown Road interchange at milepost 95 but the trooper lost sight of the object of his chase, according to DeFazio. After the trooper terminated the pursuit and pulled off to the side of the road, another vehicle approached and advised a motorcycle and rider were behind the concrete support of the Maytown overpass bridge, according to DeFazio. When the trooper approached from the west on foot, he could see the rider looking eastward, DeFazio wrote. German V. Chumak was taken into custody. Chumak was asked why he was hiding and said he wasn’t, he’d just run out of gas, according to DeFazio. The first calls came in at 9:46 a.m. and the Tualatin, Oregon resident was arrested about 10:45 a.m. When he was charged today in Lewis County Superior Court with attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, DeFazio noted he had no criminal history, suggested the information in the probable cause statement indicated he would be a risk to other drivers and asked he be held on $5,000 bail. Judge James Lawler set bail at $20,000. Temporary defense attorney Rachael Tiller told the judge Chumak resides with his parents and is set to enter Portland Community College this fall. His arraignment is Thursday.

BREAK-IN MOSSYROCK

• A deputy called to the 500 block of Young Road in Mossyrock at about 3:30 p.m. on Friday found an open window, a broken kitchen window and a residence that had been ransacked, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office is awaiting a list of missing items from the 65-year-old burglary victim, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said.

CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS

• A 36-year-old Centralia man was arrested following an approximately 4:10 a.m. call yesterday to the 1500 block of Lewis Street for a domestic incident that allegedly included second-degree robbery. Corey R. Pittman was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A 32-year-old Centralia resident was arrested for third-degree assault in connection with an approximately 11:45 p.m. Saturday incident at the 1300 block of Belmont Avenue in Centralia. Laticia A. Cox was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

MAIL THEFT

• Centralia police were called about 7 p.m. on Saturday to take a report of the theft of a check from a mailbox at the 1400 block of West Main Street.

MISSING MEDS

• Centralia police were called to the 900 block of South Scheuber Road about 10:15 p.m. on Friday to take a report of the theft of medication.

FUEL THEFT

• An officer was called to a parking lot at the 400 block of Northwest Chehalis Avenue in Chehalis about 12:35 p.m. on Friday where someone had siphoned gas from at least one vehicle.

CAR PROWL

• Centralia police were called for a vehicle prowl at 7:30 a.m. Friday at the 900 block of E Street. Taken was a backpack, according to the Centralia Police Department.

DRUGS

• A search incident to an arrest following a shoplifting call about 7:10 p.m. on Friday to the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue turned up drug paraphernalia that tested positive for heroin, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Justin L. Emery, 28, of Centralia, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to police.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• A 23-year-old Castle Rock man ended up with scrapes on his nose and forehead, a wrecked car and a trip to jail last night after reportedly deciding at the last second to turn onto Tucker Road off Jackson Highway at as much as 50 mph, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. His passenger was unhurt but his 2015 Audi S3 sedan sustained substantial damage, according to the sheriff’s office. A deputy arriving to the scene about 5:45 p.m. conducted filed sobriety tests and subsequently arrested Garrett L. Lindeman for driving under the influence and booked him into the Lewis County Jail, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said.

• Centralia police were called about 2 p.m. on Saturday for an automobile versus bicyclist collision at the 600 block of Harrison Avenue. The individual on the bike suffered minor injuries, and rode away from the scene, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, trespassing, malicious mischief, third-degree theft, misdemeanor domestic assault, driving under the influence, protection order violation; responses for alarm, dispute, hit and run, civil issue, vandalism, shoplifting, disorderly person, suicidal person, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances; complaint of homeless people sleeping under someone’s porch, person with suitcase hiding in dumpster  … and more among 406 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 72-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

Change clocks, change batteries

March 11th, 2017
2017.0311.smokealarm

For more information about smoke alarm safety, check the National Fire Protection Organization

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Napavine area Fire Lt. Laura Hanson wants everyone to be reminded this week is change your clock, change your battery.

Daylight saving time begins tomorrow, so setting your clocks forward by one hour before you go to bed will put you on the right schedule.

Replacing the batteries in your smoke alarm at the same time can put you and your family in the company of those whose lives have been saved by being timely alerted to a house fire.

It’s a simple preventative step that can prevent a tragedy.

Chehalis Fire Investigator Derrick Paul says that in his 20-year career, he has never come across a fire fatality when there was a working smoke detector.

“Warnings from smoke alarms can provide those critical extra seconds people need to get out of their homes safely,” State Fire Marshal Charles Duffy stated in a press release.

The state fire marshal’s office recommends making a habit of inspecting smoke alarms when we change our clocks.

“Smoke alarms most often fail because of missing, dead or disconnected batteries so maintaining your alarms is a simple, effective way to protect you and your family,” Duffy stated.

Lt. Hanson urges anyone with questions to contact their local fire agency.

Duffy’s advice:

• Follow the manufacturers instructions when changing batteries.
• Test your smoke alarms monthly.
• Replace any smoke alarms that are 10 years or older.