The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office filed charges against several Green Hill School inmates this month for alleged offenses that took place at the Chehalis juvenile detention facility.
One inmate, identified as Conner Leo Strange, 19, was charged March 1 with one count of possession of a controlled substance while in a state correctional facility after he overdosed on fentanyl on Jan. 14, according to court documents.
Strange’s roommate reportedly did CPR on Strange before a staff member arrived and took over until EMS arrived. A responding Chehalis police officer noted that first responders administered six doses of the overdose-reversing drug Narcan.
A search of Strange’s room yielded “a small baggie with three small blue pills inside,” which had been hidden inside of a sock, according to court documents.
Strange entered a not guilty plea on March 28 and trial is scheduled to begin June 3.
Another inmate, identified as Andre Vasquez, 19, was charged March 5 with one count of prison riot for allegedly joining in a fight at Green Hill on Dec. 7, 2023. Vasquez and another inmate allegedly “threw repeated punches and kicks” while fighting a third inmate, according to court documents. Vasquez pleaded not guilty to the charge on March 28 and trial is scheduled to begin June 10.
Vasquez also faces a separate prison riot charge for allegedly joining fellow inmate Emiliano Charre-Nunez, 20, in a fight on either Jan. 11 or Feb. 19. Court documents did not consistently list the correct date of the incident. Vasquez and Charre-Nunez allegedly “met near the control booth in one of the residential buildings and began to fight,” according to court documents. An unnamed juvenile inmate allegedly “ran to the fight and began throwing punches as well.”
Vasquez and Charre-Nunez were each charged with one count of prison riot on March 14.
Vasquez had his preliminary hearing on March 19 and Charre-Nunez had his on March 20.
The Lewis County Prosecutor's Office also filed two separate custodial assault cases on March 5.
One inmate, identified as Anthony Coen, 18, reportedly “struck a Green Hill staff member who was performing his functions at the time of the assault” on Feb. 11, according to court documents. Coen pleaded guilty to custodial assault on March 22 and was sentenced to two months in jail.
Another inmate, identified as Kevin R. Russell, 19, allegedly “assaulted a staff member of the school by repeatedly hitting him on the wrist” on Jan. 15. He entered a not guilty plea on March 28 and trial is scheduled to begin June 10.
Green Hill School began reporting all seized contraband and all assaults involving three or more inmates to the Chehalis Police Department in October, according to Green Hill School interim Superintendent Jason Aldana.
In a statement to a Chronicle reporter earlier this month, Aldana said he reached out to Centralia Police Chief Stacy Denham and Chehalis Police Chief Randy Kaut shortly after the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET) executed a search warrant at the facility on Aug. 31, 2023.
Aldana said he met with Kaut and Chehalis Deputy Chief Matt McKnight in early September to go over a pilot system for reporting assaults and seized contraband to the Chehalis Police Department.
