Centralia Police Department

Taking Tools

    • About $600 worth of miscellaneous tools were reported stolen from a burned-down home on the 300 block of East Maple Street in Centralia on Friday.

    • Centralia residents called police Friday afternoon after they discovered their lawn mower that was sitting in the front yard of their home on the 800 block of E Street had been stolen.

    • Police arrested and booked Damon L. Stevens, 39, Centralia, for second-degree burglary at about 7:40 p.m. on Saturday. An employee at a business on the 1500 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia told police that a lock on a storage shed had been cut, and that Stevens was inside holding the door closed. Stevens then flung the door open, knocking down the employee, police said, then took off running.  Centralia police, with the aid of a police dog, eventually tracked down Stevens. It was discovered that he had been inside the shed taking apart a riding lawn mower and putting parts in a wheelbarrow, police said.

Sleepless in Centralia

    • Transient Harry J. Smith, 43, was arrested and released for criminal trespassing by Centralia police at 2:15 p.m. on Friday. He was found sleeping next to a building on the 2100 block of Haviland Street in Centralia.

Out of Control

    • Centralia police arrested and charged George P. Higby, 36, Centralia, with malicious mischief at about 11 p.m. on Friday. Higby was “being all kinds of crazy,” as he was tearing down brochures and knocking over displays outside of the Gibson House restaurant in Centralia, according to the Centralia Police Department. Bystanders eventually pinned Higby down until police arrived.

Tagging Buildings

    • Police were alerted Saturday morning that graffiti had been spray painted on the side of a building located on the 400 block of West Main Street. The Centralia Police Department does not believe it was gang related.

Beer Runs

    • Zachary S. Gunderson, 27, Yelm, and Jason R. Moore, 27, Yelm, were cited and released for theft at about 2 a.m. on Sunday. Gunderson entered a business on the 1200 block of Mellen Street in Centralia and grabbed 12 packs of Busch before running out of the store, police said. He handed off one of the 12 packs to Moore, before they both fled the scene, according to the Centralia Police Department. Both were eventually tracked down.

    • A white male, about 25, went into a store at about 1:30 a.m. Monday morning located on the 400 block of West Main Street. He grabbed a 16-pack of Red Beer and then ran out of the store. No arrests were made.

Hit and Run

    • A 2008 Nissan Maxima parked on the 3000 block of Borst Avenue in Centralia was hit by an unknown vehicle on Sunday. The rear driver side bumper was damaged.

Change of Heart

    • A blue Cadillac was broken into on Sunday on the 1300 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia, but nothing was stolen.

A Little Pick Me Up

    • Lisa K. Williams, 42, Winlock, was arrested and booked for alleged possession of meth at about 10 p.m. on Saturday. Williams, an employee of a restaurant on the 1000 block of Harrison Avenue in Centralia, was caught by her manager outside smoking from what appeared to be a “crack pipe,” according to the Centralia Police Department. She was then confronted and asked to empty her purse, where meth was discovered, police said. She said she did not know how it got in her purse, according to police.

Lewis County Jail

    Inmate population as of early this morning: 165 inmates; 127 are men and 38 are women. Five are work release inmates. Fifteen are contract bed inmates from outside the local area. Fifteen inmates are on electronic home monitoring, and none are day-reporting. In the past 24 hours, nine people were booked into the jail and 21 were released.

By The Chronicle Staff