Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

April 14th, 2017
2015.0518.2013.1113.sirenslights5860.secondone

•••

SHERIFF’S OFFICE: PILFERING PLANKS

• A 47-year-old Centralia man was arrested after a deputy was called just after noon yesterday to a barn structure at the 200 block of Stearns Road west of Chehalis where he was allegedly taking some wooden boards. Jeffrey A. Pickett said he had the owner’s permission but didn’t know the owner’s first name, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Pickett was booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree burglary, according to the sheriff’s office. Prosecutors declined to file a felony charge.

VEHICLE THEFT

• A yellow 1986 Mazda pickup was reported stolen just after 1 p.m. yesterday from the 300 block of West Pine Street in Centralia. It has a  license plate reading C02458H, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Chehalis police were called about 3:45 p.m. yesterday to the 2100 block of North National Avenue following the discovery that a silver trailer-tow dolly was missing.

• Centralia police were called about 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday to the 500 block of East Summa Street regarding a vehicle theft.

OTHER THEFT

• Centralia police were called just after 10 a.m. yesterday to take a report of the theft of cash from a residence on the 600 block of Lakeshore Drive in Centralia.

• Chehalis police took a report on Wednesday afternoon from a woman who said valuables were taken from her purse while it was at the 100 block of Southwest Fifth Street. Among the missing items were a driver’s license and bank cards, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

• Centralia police were called about 1:50 p.m. on Wednesday to take a report of the theft of prescription medication from the 1700 block of Sunset Way.

VEHICLE PROWL

• Someone stole a Stihl MS660 chainsaw from the back of a truck parked at the 2700 block of Graf Road in Centralia sometime between 7 p.m. on Wednesday and 2 p.m. yesterday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The loss is about $1,000, according to the sheriff’s office.

UNRULY PERSON

• Centralia police were called to Providence Centralia Hospital on the 900 block of South Scheuber Road about 9:10 p.m. yesterday where an individual was allegedly causing a scene and refusing to leave. Randy W. Hausinger, 55, of Shelton, was arrested for interfering with a health care facility and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department. Police had arrested then released Hausinger about 7:25 p.m. the day before at the 200 block of North Railroad Avenue for allegedly drinking alcohol at a bus stop, citing him for unlawful transit conduct, according to police.

TOUCHING INVESTIGATION

• Centralia police were called about 4:20 p.m. yesterday to take a report of alleged inappropriate touching of a child, according to the Centralia Police Department.

DRUGS

• A 37-year-old Chehalis man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine after contact with an officer at the 900 block of Ellsbury Street in Centralia about 8 a.m. on Wednesday. James L. Costalez  booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to the Centralia Police Department.

MAD MOM

• A 41-year-old Centralia woman was arrested just after 1 a.m. yesterday for allegedly throwing a baseball bat at her son’s vehicle and damaging it at Oxford Avenue and and Warren Street in Centralia. Stacy M. Burleson was cited for third-degree malicious mischief and then released, according to the Centralia Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Chehalis police were called at 11:30 p.m. yesterday regarding someone throwing eggs at a vehicle and slashing two of its tires at the 200 block of West Main Street.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for drugs, warrant, misdemeanor domestic assault, trespassing, protection order violation, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, hit and run, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances, person sleeping on somebody else’s porch … and more among 277 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 48-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

Mental evaluation awaits attempted car jacking suspect

April 12th, 2017
2017.0412.tommy.millerjr9449

Tommy W. Miller, Jr. is escorted out of the courtroom following a bail hearing in Lewis County Superior Court

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The 23-year-old accused of throwing a hospital employee out of the driver’s seat of her car after she got off work in the early morning hours on Tuesday was charged today with two felonies in Lewis County Superior Court.

Tommy W. Miller, Jr. of Lacey was brought before a judge this afternoon but his temporary defense attorney said Miller wouldn’t talk to him.

When Judge Andrew Toynbee queried Miller directly, he responded with random words and gibberish, Lewis County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher said.

Meagher said when Miller returns to court tomorrow, he will have an order prepared to get him evaluated at Western State Hospital.

“We don’t have any choice, it’s our only option,” Meagher told Miller’s family after the hearing.

He was charged today with first-degree attempted robbery and second-degree assault.

Prosecutors allege he approached the employee’s car in the parking lot at Providence Centralia Hospital and after trying to speak to her once, that when she turned her attention back to her phone, he opened her car door.

The victim, identified in court documents only by her initials A.T., told police he grabbed her with both hands by the front of her shirt and threw her onto the ground, ripping her brassiere in half, tearing her top and leaving her with scrapes on her hands and knees, Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead wrote in court papers.

She ran into the emergency room to call 911 and realized she had her car keys in her hand, according to Halstead.

Centralia police and deputies responding to the approximately 3:37 a.m. call eventually spotted Miller walking on nearby on Cooks Hill Road. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail.

Halstead wrote the victim had looked back as she ran and saw the headlights to her vehicle had been turned on.

“It appears the subject attempted to steal A.T.’s vehicle but was unsuccessful when he discovered the keys were no longer in the vehicle,” Halstead wrote.

Meagher today asked the judge to hold Miller on $100,000 bail. Temporary defense attorney noted his client appeared to have no criminal history.

Judge Toynbee set bail at $50,000.

Defense attorney Shane O’Rourke was appointed to represent him. His next hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. tomorrow.
•••

For background, read “Woman pulled from her car in Providence Centralia Hospital parking lot, runs inside to call 911” from Tuesday April 11, 2017, here

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

April 12th, 2017
2015.0518.2013.1113.sirenslights5860.secondone

•••

TEEN MUGGED

• Centralia police were called just after 4 p.m. yesterday to a report that a hat and headphones were taken by force from a 15-year-old boy at the 500 block of West Main Street. The suspects are juvenile males, according to the Centralia Police Department. The case is under investigation.

HOME BROKEN INTO

• A deputy was called just after noon yesterday to a residential burglary at the 100 block of Lake Terrace Place near Mossyrock. An individual house sitting there for a relative reported someone had forced open a back door sometime between 5 p.m. on Monday and 10:46 a.m. yesterday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Possibly missing is a television and other items, but a list of stolen property is still being compiled, according to the sheriff’s office.

GARDEN ART MISSING

• Someone stole a decorative statue from in front of an apartment at the 100 block of South Railroad Avenue in Centralia, according to a report made to police about 2:50 p.m. yesterday.

CAR PROWL

• Centralia police were called about 10:20 a.m. yesterday to the 700 block of G Street for a vehicle prowl in which a laptop computer was stolen.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for misdemeanor domestic assault; responses for alarm, dispute, shoplifting, civil issue, harassment, vehicle collision, disorderly person, suspicious circumstances … and more among 118 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

April 11th, 2017
2015.0518.2013.1113.sirenslights5860.secondone

•••

DRUGS

• Two women were arrested yesterday on drug offenses after a call to Wal-Mart about one allegedly attempting to spend counterfeit bills and then a call back later when her suspected companion allegedly left the store with stolen merchandise. Officers responding after 1:15 p.m. to the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue contacted Karissa L. Duplex, 24, of Kelso, and a search incident to her arrest turned up more fake bills, stolen property and drug paraphernalia that field-tested positive for methamphetamine as well as some bank and/or gift cards with a name on them other than her own, according to the Chehalis Police Department. About two hours later, an officer was called back to the business when the second suspect reportedly returned but then left with items unpaid for, according to police. Officers caught up with 35-year-old Shawntae J. Barnett in a vehicle along Interstate 5 near exit 77, department spokesperson Linda Bailey said. She couldn’t explain where the vehicle came from so it was impounded and stolen items totaling just over $700 were located inside, Bailey said. Suspected heroin was found on her plus one more piece of stolen merchandise was located after she arrived to the jail, according to Bailey. Both were booked into the Lewis County Jail for a violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act. Duplex was additionally booked for a counterfeit offense.

THEFT FROM PORCH

• Chehalis police were called about 7:45 a.m. yesterday to the 700 block of Northwest Pennsylvania Avenue when a resident discovered the 2000-watt Honda generator he had chained to his porch from the windstorm had vanished.

MISSING MEDS

• Centralia police were called about 9:30 a.m. yesterday to the 1000 block of B Street to take a report of the theft of medication.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• The driver of the car that became wedged beneath the trailer of a semi truck on southbound Interstate 5 yesterday afternoon near Napavine self-extricated and was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to Lewis County Fire District 5. It had been raining really hard at the time of the 1:25 p.m. call, Firefighter Samantha Heldreth said.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, driving with suspended license; responses for alarm, dispute, shoplifting, civil issue, hit and run, suspicious circumstances … and more among 149 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 24-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

Woman pulled from her car in Providence Centralia Hospital parking lot, runs inside to call 911

April 11th, 2017

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – A 24-year-old Lacey man is in custody after an employee at Providence Centralia Hospital was the victim of an apparent attempted car jacking early this morning.

Police were called at 3:37 a.m. to the 1800 block of Cooks Hill Road where the victim described what had occurred in the hospital parking lot.

She told police a black male had approached her while she was warming up her vehicle, asked her if she worked there and then lingered after she told him no, according to the Centralia Police Department.

The woman called security staff but before they arrived, the man opened her door, forcibly grabbed her out of the vehicle and got inside, according to police.

“The victim, who sustained minor injuries and torn clothing from the force of the grab, managed to grab her keys and ran back to the hospital where she contacted security,” Centralia detective Sgt. Carl Buster stated in a press release.

Officers arrived to the area, summoned a K-9 and set up containment, according to Buster.

A deputy recalled contacting an individual matching that description earlier, off Interstate 5’s exit 77 in Chehalis, who had been carrying a hammer, Buster wrote.

The deputy spotted that same person walking nearby on Cooks Hill Road. He was contacted and the victim identified him as their suspect, according to Buster. His hammer was found nearby, Buster said.

Tommy W. Miller, Jr., 24 of Lacey, was taken into custody and arrested for first-degree robbery, according to police.

Sirens: Daily police and fire roundup

April 10th, 2017
2015.0518.2013.1113.sirenslights5860.secondone

•••

Updated

PORCH THEFT

• Centralia police were called about 8:30 a.m. yesterday to a report that someone stole a backpack off a front porch at the 1300 block of Harrison Avenue.

VEHICLE PROWL

• Police were called about 2:45 p.m. on Friday for a car prowl in a parking lot at the 100 block of Northeast Hampe Way. The driver’s side window had been shattered and missing was a Samsung tablet in a purple case, according to the Chehalis Police Department.

VANDALISM

• Police called about 2:10 a.m. today to the 300 block of Kearny Street in Centralia to investigate a dispute learned a 33-year-old Centralia man had broken a window out of a recreational vehicle. He was gone when officers arrived, but a request for a summons for his arrest was forwarded to the city attorney, according to the Centralia Police Department.

• Centralia police took a report on Friday morning about a number of mailboxes damaged in the area of the 1300 block of Maple Valley Drive.

AUTO THEFT

• A 33-year-old Olympia man was arrested on Saturday in connection with a case in which four vehicles and a car trailer were stolen from their owner at the 2200 block of Seminary Hill Road in Centralia between March 28 and last Thursday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. On Saturday, deputies spoke to Joseph M. Lehman, who provided what appeared to be fraudulent bill of sales, according to the sheriff’s office. He was booked into the Lewis County Jail for second-degree possession of stolen property and theft of a motor vehicle, according to Chief Deputy Dusty Breen. A Centralia man was arrested in the same case on Thursday.

ON THE ROAD, OFF THE ROAD

• A Castle Rock man was injured when he fell asleep at the wheel and rolled his car yesterday evening on state Route 6 about 12 miles west of Chehalis, according to the Washington State Patrol. Troopers called to the scene just before 7 p.m. found the 2016 Kia Soul had been heading eastbound, left the roadway to the right,. struck an embankment and then tumbled, coming to rest on its side, according to the state patrol. It was totaled. Lex L. Strom, 54, was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, the investigating trooper reports. Strom was to be cited for wheels off the roadway.

• A 41-year-old Packwood motorist was tracked down after he allegedly struck a utility pole near milepost 3 on Cannon Road in Packwood on Saturday afternoon and left the scene. Deputies called about 4 p.m. found the 1995 Nissan pickup truck sustained major damage, the pole had minor damage and Foy G. Leatherman was unhurt, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Leatherman was arrested for driving under the influence and booked into the Lewis County Jail, according to sheriff’s Chief Deputy Dusty Breen.

AND MORE

• And, as usual, other incidents such as arrests for warrants, shoplifting, driving under the influence, driving with suspended license, driving without required interlock device, drinking a beer in public; responses for alarm, dispute, civil issue, hit and run, third-degree theft, suicidal person, vehicle collision, suspicious circumstances … and more among 425 calls for local law enforcement and / or fire-emergency medical services in the 72-hour period ending about 7 a.m. today.

Upstairs stove is suspect in Chehalis house fire

April 9th, 2017
2017.0406.houserisingsonfire9434

Arriving firefighters saw flames coming out second-story window.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – What ignited a house fire in Chehalis displacing eight residents is still unknown but a closer look at a stove on the second floor in an area converted into a kitchen is in order, according to authorities.

“I’m still working on the investigation, so I can’t really say for sure,” Fire Investigator Jay Birley said.

The fire broke out at mid-morning on Thursday on Southwest 14th Street just east of Wilson Avenue.

The two-story structure originally was a church. It’s owner operated it as a kind of halfway house, she called House of the Rising Son until the city raised zoning issues with her a few years ago.

Birley said interviews with the occupants indicate a woman had been upstairs to retrieve DVDs and glasses, went downstairs and when she went back upstairs she discovered the fire. She thought he saw something burning on the stove, Birley said.

She alerted another resident who attempted to put it out with a fire extinguisher but was unsuccessful, he said.

One man and one woman were taken to the hospital for smoke and breathing issues, according to responders.

Birley counted six bedrooms in the house and only found one smoke detector, which had been taken down and wasn’t working, he said.

Two of the occupants were small children.

The Red Cross was summoned to assist the residents. The house is still standing, but the city red tagged the building as uninhabitable.

Chehalis Fire Department Chief Ken Cardinale said the stove was situated in an area determined to be the fire’s origin. He said renovations for which no city permit had been obtained were discovered.

BIrley said if the home is insured, the insurance company will want to have the stove examined.
•••

For background, read “Eight people displaced by Chehalis house fire” from Thursday April 6, 2017, here