News brief: Downtown Centralia death still under investigation

May 15th, 2017

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Lewis County coroner indicates the cause and manner of death of the Centralia man discovered dead behind a business on South Tower Avenue can’t be determined until the results of toxicology tests come back.

Johnny A. Wright, 49, was found laying on the ground near the railroad tracks the morning of May 5. There were no obvious injuries, according to police.

The Centralia Police Department is investigating.
•••

For background, read “News brief: Man found dead behind Chevron station was Centralia resident” from Saturday May 6, 2017, here

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

May 15th, 2017
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•••

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• A 34-year-old motorist allegedly told a deputy he was drunk and crashed his car after he swerved to miss a raccoon and drove off the roadway at Stowell and Talbot roads in Salkum early yesterday morning. A deputy responding to the approximately 1:35 a.m. call arrested Robert D. Molina, of Onalaska, for driving under the influence and booked him in to the Lewis County Jail, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The 1994 Volkswagen Jetta sustained minor damage, according to the sheriff’s office.

• A 53-year-old Centralia woman was arrested for driving under the influence after she reportedly ran her vehicle into two parked vehicles in a parking lot at the 500 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia on Saturday. Officers responding to an approximately 5 p.m. call booked Lynette R. Pemberton into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

•  Torri E. Woodruff, 24, of Centralia was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for driving under the influence after the car she was driving collided with a parked car at Pearl Street and Alaska Way in Centralia around 2 a.m. on Saturday, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Chehalis police were called about 3:50 p.m. on Friday by a female who reported a white Dodge pickup truck with flashing red and blue lights in its grill had pulled up behind her and yelled at her before then following her along Bishop Road. An officer figured out who the motorist was and he has been warned about the lights, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

GAS STATION EMPLOYEE ASSAULTED

• A 31-year-old homeless man allegedly assaulted a gas station employee shortly after the worker had given him money for a bus ticket and food at the 1200 block of Mellen Street in Centralia on Friday morning. Police called just before 9 a.m. arrested Christopher J. Clark for fourth-degree assault and booked Clark into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

MASS MISSING MONEY

• Centralia police reported on Saturday morning they were summoned to the 100 block of North Tower Avenue the afternoon before regarding a  large sum of cash stolen from the office of a business.

TAKING TVs

• A 25-year-old Chehalis resident was arrested following an approximately 12:50 a.m. call yesterday about someone pushing a shopping cart with TVs in it away from Wal-Mart. Chehalis police report that Max M. Dantzler had allegedly departed from a door he had propped open and attempted to leave in a vehicle but was contacted by an officer. Dantzler was booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree burglary, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

AUTO THEFT

• Centralia police called about 11:15 a.m. on Friday to the 2000 block of Johnson Road about a vehicle stolen during the night report it was recovered in Thurston County, damaged.

INDECENCY

• A 47-year-old Wisconsin man was arrested for indecent exposure after Chehalis police were called to a report an individual had seen a man masturbating inside a car in a parking lot at the 1400 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue. Mark R. Pope was issued the citation and then released following the approximately 11:40 a.m. call on Friday, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

DRUGS

•  Nicholas F. Henderson, 63, a transient, was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail after he was allegedly found to be in possession of methamphetamine during a trespass investigation at the 700 block of North Pearl Street in Centralia just after 11 a.m. on Friday, according to the Centralia Police Department.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for drugs, warrants, trespassing, misdemeanor assault, probation violation, protection order violation, failure to transfer title, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license, driving with no license, being in physical control of vehicle while intoxicated; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, hit and run, disorderly person, suicidal person, vehicle collision, stolen cell phone, suspicious circumstances, third-degree theft … and more among 433 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 72-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

News brief: Centralia man dead after getting hit by vehicle

May 15th, 2017

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The pedestrian who was fatally struck by a vehicle in Grand Mound on Saturday night has been identified as a 28-year-old Centralia resident.

Lifesaving efforts were not effective for James R. Beesley, according to authorities.

Deputies called at approximately 10:30 p.m. to the 20800 block of Old Highway 9 noted the 18-year-old driver of the vehicle was not driving reckless nor under the influence, according to Thurston County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Carla Carter.

It was the teen driver who immediately called 911, according to Carter.

Serial fast food burglar gets long prison term

May 12th, 2017

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The former Centralia College student who admitted to a string of fast food restaurant rooftop break-ins in which thousands of dollars were stolen has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.

Alexis Cardenas, 26, was arrested in February for the incidents in the late spring of 2015 in Centralia.

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Alexis Cardenas

Most of the victim establishments discovered someone had broke into their safes after entering the building by cutting a hole in the roof. Cardenas was released from prison in 2014 for a similar caper at a KFC in King County, according to authorities.

Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead and defense attorney David Arcuri on Wednesday made the agreed recommendation of 148 months to a judge in Lewis County Superior Court. Judge Andrew Toynbee agreed.

Cardenas pleaded guilty in March to five counts of second-degree burglary, five counts of first-degree malicious mischief and one count of attempted delivery of cocaine. The businesses locally included Arby’s, Wendy’s and McDonalds in Centralia.

Halstead said three of Cardenas’s accomplices have been sentenced for their roles.

Joaquin Armenta recently was given five years and eight months and Cole T. Moon received the same amount of time. Moon had previously gotten 45 days in jail for the McDonald’s burglary.

Cardenas’s girlfriend at the time was originally charged with one count each of second-degree burglary and first-degree malicious mischief but Halstead said her participation turned out to be even more limited.

Morelia V. Ayala Garcia, now 20, of Centralia, was completely cooperative, Halstead said.

She pleaded guilty to reduced charges of three counts of third-degree malicious mischief and was given 30 days in jail, which could be served on electronic home monitoring.

Halstead said today more suspects are still outstanding.
•••

For background, read “Fast food roof top burglar convicted after plea deal” from Wednesday March 22, 2017, here

News brief: Fire set at Centralia apartments brings nearly two-year sentence

May 12th, 2017

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The former Centralia apartment manager who admitted setting a fire at a building in the complex where she lived and worked has been given a 21-month sentence in prison.

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Kathrin L. Turner

Both prosecuting and defense attorneys recommended 44-year-old Kathrin L. Turner be given the low end of the standard sentencing range.

Turner pleaded guilty last month in Lewis County Superior Court to one count of first-degree arson.

Centralia police investigated after two small fires were set on two consecutive mornings at the 1100 block of Scammon Creek Road. Turner told responders she used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames that damaged an approximately 15 square foot area of exterior siding on Nov. 3.

Days later she cut her own throat and wrists and was hospitalized for more than a month, according to authorities.

Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead said they suggested only 21 months to the judge because Turner had no previous criminal history and because she clearly was not intending to burn the building down.

She was trying to scare a tenant into moving out because she wanted to rent the unit to a friend, he said.

Judge Andrew Toynbee on Wednesday agreed with the recommended sentence.
•••

For background, read “News brief: Centralia apartment arson suspect enters guilty plea” from Wednesday April 5, 2017, here

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

May 12th, 2017
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•••

Updated at 3:58 p.m.

UTENSIL ATTACK

• A 51-year-old woman was arrested last night after her ex-husband said while she was staying with him a camper, she was intoxicated and began to fight with him, allegedly including stabbing him in the abdomen with a fork. A deputy called just before 11 p.m. to the 400 block of Bunker Creek Road found the victim with minor scrapes and bruises as well as a puncture mark on his stomach, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Maryann E. Cook, of Buena Park, California, was arrested for third-degree assault and booked into the Lewis County Jail, Chief Deputy Dusty Breen said.

KIDS IN TROUBLE

• A juvenile female was arrested last night for allegedly making death threats in a case associated with the 900 block of South Scheuber Road in Centralia, according to the Centralia Police Department. She was booked into the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center, according to police.

• Chehalis police were called yesterday morning to Green Hill School to take reports of two incidents in recent days, one in which a 16-year-old resident allegedly took a grape from his mouth and threw it at an employee on Sunday and another on Thursday in which a 16-year-old reportedly spit on a staff member. Both cases are being referred to prosecutors for charges of custodial assault, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Chehalis police are investigating an incident at W.F. West High School reported yesterday morning in which someone poured “gasket maker” into the crankcase of a motorcycle in the shop class. The motorbike is valued at $1,100, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

VEHICLE PROWL

• Centralia police were called to the 1200 block of Alder Street at 7:30 p.m. yesterday to take a report of tools stolen from a vehicle.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• Chehalis firefighters responded to a pair of motor vehicle accidents just before 10 a.m. yesterday on southbound Interstate 5 near milepost 77, the first one a rear end collision in which a pregnant woman was taken to the hospital for evaluation. A few hundred yards to the north, an also pregnant driver hydroplaned and hit the median head on, according to the Chehalis Fire Department. Fire Capt. Derrick Paul indicated she was transported with injuries to Providence Centralia Hospital. One lane was shut down for 35 minutes, according to Paul.

• The driver of a pickup truck was uninjured when she lost control on the slippery roadway and rolled over an embankment at the onramp to Interstate 5 at Chamber of Commerce Way in Chehalis just after 1 p.m. yesterday, according to the Chehalis Fire Department.

• Nobody was injured when the driver of a mini van said he accidentally hit his accelerator and ran into the front of a grocery store on the 500 block of South Tower Avenue in Centralia this morning. Riverside Fire Authority shared photos showing a broken window and bottles laying on the floor in front of a shelf inside. It happened just before 10:40 a.m., according to Riverside Fire Authority. “Repair is already being performed on store and the business remains open at this time,” Fire Capt. Jesse Berry wrote.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for drugs, warrants,  trespassing, misdemeanor assault, probation violation, third-degree malicious mischief, interfering with domestic violence reporting; responses for alarm, dispute, harassment, hit and run, vehicle collision, disorderly person, suspicious circumstances, third-degree theft, fourth-degree assault, a dozen individuals in a field petting someone else’s horses … and more among 137 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

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Outside Fullers Shop ‘n Kart. / Courtesy photo by Riverside Fire Authority

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Inside Fullers Shop ‘n Kart. / Courtesy photo by Riverside Fire Authority

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

May 11th, 2017
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•••

ROOFTOP ARREST

• Chehalis police went up onto a roof to detain a man and escort him to the ground after he allegedly threatened a worker with a razor knife. Officers were called just before 3 p.m. yesterday to the residence on the 400 block of Northwest Pennsylvania Avenue and then called back a second time, according to the Chehalis Police Department. Arrested for second-degree assault was Charles T. Driggs, 48, of Lacey, according to police. A search incident to his arrest led to the discovery of a white crystal substance, department spokesperson Linda Bailey said. Driggs was booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to Bailey.

ASSAULT

• A 41-year-old man was arrested for third-degree assault yesterday after allegedly punching a medical provider at the 1300 block of Alexander Street in Centralia. Officers called about 12:40 p.m. booked Willard A. Scott into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• A 34-year-old Mossyrock resident was  for third-degree assault overnight after he allegedly spit on a healthcare worker who was attempting to treat him at the 900 block of South Scheuber Road in Centralia. Officers called just before 2 a.m. booked Lucas J. Davis, into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT

• A 42-year-old father was arrested for reckless endangerment after a 5-year-old girl was found by herself a long way from home in Centralia yesterday. Officers responding about 7:20 p.m. to the 2800 block of Russell Road issued a citation to Michael A. Munoz and then released him pending court proceedings, according to the Centralia Police Department.

THEFT

• A purse was stolen while its owner was shopping at the 500 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia yesterday and when the purse was recovered a good deal of jewelry was discovered to be missing,  according to the Centralia Police Department. The investigation is on-going, according to police.

• Chehalis police were called at 11:20 a.m. yesterday to a business at the 100 block k of Northwest Prindle Street about unauthorized purchases on a credit card, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Centralia police were called about 8:15 a.m. yesterday to the 700 block of West Pine Street for graffiti to a garage sometime overnight.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• A driver said he thinks the accelerator stuck before he ran into a building near the 300 block of Northwest Park Street in Chehalis yesterday afternoon. The Chrysler mini van also took out a tree by Security State Bank, according to the Chehalis Police Department. It happened just before 4:15 p.m. Neither the employee inside the building nor either of the two occupants of the van were hurt, according to police. Police department spokesperson Linda Bailey said the driver was a man around 55 years old and she did not know if he was issued a citation.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, misdemeanor assault, probation violation, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, harassment, hit and run, civil issue, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances … and more among 168 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.