A Centralia woman accused of starting multiple brush fires along Harrison Avenue on Monday has been arrested and charged with second-degree arson in Lewis County Superior Court.
The suspect, Jade Le, 47, is facing two counts of second-degree arson — a class B felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison — and one count of resisting arrest.
The Riverside Fire Authority and the Centralia Police Department were dispatched to reports of two to four fires in the 500 and 600 blocks of Harrison Avenue at approximately 9:15 p.m. on Monday, June 5.
The fires primarily burned in the vegetation buffers along the roadway, though one fire damaged a telephone pole in the 500 block of Harrison Avenue. No structures were threatened and no injuries were reported.
Crews fully extinguished the fires and returned to service at approximately 9:57 p.m., according to the Riverside Fire Authority.
Le was arrested after an officer matched her to the physical description —“an Asian female wearing a green dress” — given by witnesses who reported the fires to dispatch.
One witness reported seeing a suspect “doing something with some type of burning object, either a cigarette or a lighter” behind Harrison Supermarket in the 600 block of Harrison Avenue, according to court documents.
Another witness reported seeing a suspect matching the same description “crouched down behind a building” in the 500 block of Harrison Avenue and said the suspect “lit a bag on fire and placed it into the brush,” according to court documents.
Le was allegedly still in the area when officers arrived, with a witness pointing her out to law enforcement personnel.
When ordered by an officer to stop, Le allegedly “continued walking,” then “yelled at the officer and did not follow his commands.” He eventually “went to grab Le’s arm in order to detain her and she attempted to pull away from his grasp,” according to court documents. She then allegedly “began to kick” the officer, at which point “Le was taken to the ground and secured in handcuffs with the assistance of another officer.”
Officers found a butane lighter in Le’s possession when she was arrested, according to court documents.
Le was booked into the Lewis County Jail just before 9:55 p.m. on Monday, June 5, according to jail records.
She refused to meet with a defense attorney prior to her preliminary hearing on Tuesday, according to defense attorney Rachael Tiller, who asked Judge J. Andrew Toynbee to approve a competency evaluation.
Le declined to answer questions asked by Toynbee during her hearing on Tuesday.
“Based on what I have seen and heard today, I’m going to enter the order for a competency evaluation,” Toynbee said.
A review hearing has been scheduled for later this week.
Le will be held without bail until that order for a competency evaluation is reviewed.
