The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office filed charges against at least 14 Green Hill School inmates between Sept. 18 and Nov. 20 for alleged offenses that took place at the Chehalis juvenile detention facility over the summer.

Four inmates were recently charged with possession of a controlled substance while in a county or local corrections facility, which is a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Eduardo Alex Cervantes Vasquez, 20, was charged Sept. 18 with one count of possession of a controlled substance while in a county or local corrections facility after he allegedly admitted to smoking THC wax in his cell on July 3. Green Hill staff reportedly found ashes in a milk carton and white powder in part of a blue glove on the bed frame in Cervantes’ cell. He entered a not guilty plea on Oct. 24 and trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 13.

Randy Lee Roberson, 22, was charged Oct. 1 with one count of possession of a controlled substance while in a county or local corrections facility after staff performing random cell searches on June 17 found an iPhone hidden inside a macaroni box in Roberson’s cell. He entered a not-guilty plea on Oct. 24 and trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 13.

Marcus D. Miller, 20, was charged Oct. 1 with one count of possession of a controlled substance while in a county or local corrections facility after he was reportedly seen pacing around a unit with a green shirt tucked into the front of his pants on July 8. He allegedly refused commands to give up the shirt “and whatever was inside of it” and allegedly “began making threats as Green Hill staff members got closer to him.” Staff ultimately took Miller to the ground and recovered the shirt, which was wrapped around an iPhone. He entered a not-guilty plea on Oct. 24 and trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 13.

Dominic David Wilson, 20, was charged Oct. 23 with one count of possession of a controlled substance while in a county or local corrections facility after he allegedly left a hotspot device in the backseat of a transport vehicle on July 10. He entered a not guilty plea on Nov. 14 and trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 3.

Five Green Hill School inmates were recently charged with custodial assault, which is a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Tobias T. Hamm, 21, was charged Oct. 21 with one count of custodial assault with sexual motivation for allegedly grabbing a female Green Hill employee’s buttocks on July 26. Hamm allegedly “admitted the contact was not accidental,” according to court documents. He entered a not guilty plea on Nov. 7 and trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 20.

Yovani Cruz Jr., 19, was charged Oct. 21 with one count of custodial assault for allegedly striking a staff member in the face, bending the staff member’s glasses and drawing blood, while being escorted by the staff member on Aug. 28. His preliminary hearing was scheduled for Friday, Nov. 22.

Tyvon Robert Williams, 19, was charged Oct. 21 with two counts of custodial assault for allegedly spitting on staff members on July 14. He pleaded not guilty to both charges on Oct. 31 and trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 20.

Tony Deneil Howard Jr., 18, was charged Oct. 30 with one count of custodial assault for allegedly spitting on a staff member, attempting to headbut staff and fighting with staff who were trying to get him into his room on Aug. 11. He entered a not guilty plea on Nov. 14 and trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 3.

Syntrell Wesson, 17, was charged Nov. 1 with one count of custodial assault for allegedly smacking a staff member’s hand and shoving her into a wall while armed with a wooden broom handle on Aug. 14. Arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 27.

Three inmates were recently charged with prison riot, a class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, for their alleged involvement in a fight that broke out on Sept. 22.

Chauncey Depaul Ramos, 19, Elijah Treyvon Ford, 21, and Marquis L.A. Reed, 19, were each charged Oct. 30 with one count of prison riot for allegedly crowding a door to another residential wing while a staff member was opening it, breaking in and attacking residents inside the wing on Sept. 22.

They each pleaded not guilty to their respective charges on Nov. 14 and trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 3. 

Two inmates were also recently charged with weapon possession by a prisoner, which is a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Samuel Arias Barreto, 18, was charged Oct. 9 with one count of weapon possession by a prisoner after a staff member performing a pat-down of Barreto on June 5 found a “toothbrush that appeared to have been sharpened on one end, commonly referred to (as) a shank,” in Barreto’s pant leg. He entered a not guilty plea on Oct. 31 and trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 13.

Anthony Coen, 21, was charged Nov. 20 with two counts of weapon possession by a prisoner for allegedly having a 7-inch-long metal rod with a cloth wrapped around the end in his room during a search on May 15 and allegedly hiding a 10-inch metal rod, sharpened at one end with cloth wrapped around the other, in a flower bed on May 21. Arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 27.

Green Hill School began reporting all seized contraband and all assaults involving three or more inmates to the Chehalis Police Department in October 2023, following conversations between then-Interim Superintendent Jason Aldana, then-Centralia Police Chief Stacy Denham and Chehalis Police Chief Randy Kaut that were motivated by  the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team’s (JNET) execution of a search warrant at the facility on Aug. 31, 2023. Unreported evidence and contraband was seized from lockers as the warrant was served.

Aldana said he met with Kaut and Chehalis Deputy Chief Matt McKnight in early September 2023 to go over a pilot system for reporting assaults and seized contraband to the Chehalis Police Department.

Kaut confirmed in April that the Chehalis Police Department does regularly recover contraband that has been seized by Green Hill staff. The department also regularly receives reports of incidents within the facility, including found contraband and prison riots, which are defined as a physical altercation involving three or more inmates.

The Chehalis Police Department submits investigative material and recommended charges to the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office once it completes its own investigation into Green Hill’s reports.