News brief: Apartment arsons blamed on employee

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Centralia police say an apartment manager cut her own wrists and throat days after setting two fires at the complex where she works in Centralia and has confessed.

Kathrin L. Turner, 44, is still under medical care for the life-threatening injuries from last Sunday, at the 1100 block of Scammon Creek Road, according to the Centralia Police Department.

Officers and aid called just after 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 6, found Turner in the bathroom of a common area of the complex severe lacerations. A box cutter was found in the bathroom, police said.

The Wednesday and Thursday before, the fire department was called to suspicious fires at the apartments. The damage was minimal.

Centralia police today announced that the attempted arsons were solved with a confession, evidence and interviews in what they called a very intense investigation. They determined the fires were set by the employee, according to a news release.

The statement distributed by detective Sgt. Carl Buster with detective John Panco’s name on it, indicates the investigation is complete and the case has been forwarded to prosecutors for charging.
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For background, read “News brief: Detectives not seeking any assailant for apartment incident with box cutter” from Wednesday November 9, 2016, here

4 Responses to “News brief: Apartment arsons blamed on employee”

  1. Uncle Fester says:

    The mental health programs here in Lewis County and other Counties wander the streets in our community’s. Identifying many mental patients is easy to do you see them wandering the roadsides almost daily. Then if you’re on Obama care, it takes over three months to be seen by a mental health clinic after that it takes another 6 months to even be prescribed medication. Reason you don’t see a real Dr. Is the clinics are overbooked and you see a drs helper instead. So it’s nothing but a waiting game. Kind if how the Gubmint handles veterns, they die waiting and same goes for mental patients. The Jail also makes good money housing mental patients. The Government claims they care they want you to buckle up your seat belt when you drive and their free Fluoride is good for you’re health yet they don’t want to handle mental diseases. Problem solved if everyone stopped paying taxes we could choke our Government out with a Nation Wide Tax Payer refussl. The Government is trying to raise the age of Social Security again yet Grown men think the football game is more important. America’s Dead people, just get a gun and pray for you’re family the end is nigh.

  2. I'm tired of this shit says:

    When in the fuck is this county going to address it’s abismal mental health care system?!?!?!?! Someone help these poor fucking people dammit man we are all human beings for Christ sake!

  3. Bo Rupert says:

    I do not understand why she did what she did. She was probably going through a mountain of hard times both physically, and emotionally and found these acts as an escape. While I don’t condone what she did, I understand that a person can be driven mad by what is going on in their lives. I hope that she is able to overcome the struggles that she is going through and does not create anymore unnecessary trials and tribulations for herself.

  4. BobbyinLC says:

    As I said before this person needs mental health assistance not prison time. Arguably the fires could have been bad but they were both very minor and followed by an almost successful suicide attempt.

    I hope she gets the help she needs to realize that things are never bad enough to take your own life. I do not know her but I am sure there are people out there who love her and can support her in her recovery.