Sirens: Driver flees on foot after crashing into business; boy says he was injured on school bus; Lewis County Superior Court proceedings

By The Chronicle staff
Posted 1/17/25

CENTRALIA POLICE DEPARTMENT

Criminal trespassing

• A 38-year-old Centralia man was arrested for trespassing and for an outstanding Centralia Municipal Court warrant in the 2000 block …

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Sirens: Driver flees on foot after crashing into business; boy says he was injured on school bus; Lewis County Superior Court proceedings

Posted

CENTRALIA POLICE DEPARTMENT

Criminal trespassing

• A 38-year-old Centralia man was arrested for trespassing and for an outstanding Centralia Municipal Court warrant in the 2000 block of Borst Avenue just after 11:35 a.m. on Jan. 15.

• A 40-year-old Centralia man was arrested for first-degree criminal trespassing in the 600 block of North Tower Avenue at 9:45 p.m. on Jan. 15.

 

Theft

• At approximately 12 p.m. on Jan. 15, a wallet was reported stolen from a vehicle in the 600 block of West Main Street sometime overnight. The case is under investigation.

 

Scam

• A business in the 500 block of North Tower Avenue reported it was the victim of a scam just before 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 15. The case is under investigation.

 

Assault

• A 36-year-old Centralia man was arrested for fourth-degree assault, domestic violence, in the 1300 block of View Avenue just after 11:20 p.m. on Jan. 15.

• A 28-year-old Centralia man was arrested for fourth-degree assault, domestic violence, in the 1100 block of South Pearl Street just before 12:20 p.m. on Jan. 16.

 

Drug violation

• A 39-year-old California man was cited for smoking marijuana in public at the intersection of West Main and North Pearl streets just before 9:50 a.m. on Jan. 16.

 

CHEHALIS POLICE DEPARTMENT

Vehicle accidents

• A non-injury, two-vehicle collision was reported in a parking lot in the 300 block of West Main Street just after 8:05 a.m. on Jan. 16.

• A non-injury, two-vehicle collision was reported in a parking lot in the 300 block of Southwest 16th Street just after 4 p.m. on Jan. 16. A student driver reportedly struck a school staff member’s unoccupied vehicle.

 

Hit-and-run

• A driver reportedly crashed a vehicle into the wall of a business in the 200 block of Northwest Chehalis Avenue at approximately 1 p.m. on Jan. 16 and fled on foot. The vehicle did not breach the wall of the business. No injuries were reported.

• A female subject was cited for a hit-and-run after she reportedly rear-ended a vehicle, injuring the 17-year-old female driver, in the 1500 block of South Market Boulevard at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 15. The subject reportedly gave the injured 17-year-old a card, said she was late for an appointment and left the scene.

 

Deaths



• A death reported in the 1600 block of Southwest Kelly Avenue just before 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 16 is under investigation.

• A death reported in the 300 block of Northeast Washington Avenue at 6:25 p.m. on Jan. 16 is under investigation.

 

Suspicious circumstances

• Just after 11:50 a.m. on Jan. 16, a citizen reported “kids (were) having sex in the parking lot in a green vehicle” in the 10 block of Northeast Median Street.

• Just after 6:40 p.m. on Jan. 16, a grandparent reported that their grandson reportedly hit his head and got a bloody nose after a substitute school bus driver “brake checked the kids” while driving the Chehalis bus route in the 600 block of Northwest Hawthorne Place earlier that afternoon.

• Three young children were reportedly left in a running vehicle for over 45 minutes in the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue at approximately 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 16.

 

Sexual misconduct

• A report of inappropriate communication with a minor made in the 100 block of Northwest Pacific Avenue just after 3:15 p.m. on Jan. 16 is under investigation.

 

LEWIS COUNTY SUPERIOR   COURT

This is a non-comprehensive list of notable developments with Lewis County Superior Court cases The Chronicle has previously reported on. The public can access Superior Court records via the Odyssey portal at the Lewis County Clerk’s Office in Chehalis during business hours. To find previous news coverage about the following cases, click on the names of the defendants in this Sirens report at chronline.com.

 

Sentencings

• Ashley Ann Church, 35, of Winlock, and Clayton James Eastman, 40, of Mossyrock, each pleaded guilty to third-degree malicious mischief and possession of controlled substance charges on Wednesday, Jan. 15, and were sentenced to 364 days in prison, with 349 days suspended for 24 months, and credit for 15 days served.

 

Change of plea

• Tascino Anthony Shelton-Higginbotham, 44, of Spanaway, pleaded guilty Wednesday, Jan. 15, to five counts of third-degree rape of a child. Sentencing is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 12, 2025. For each charge, the standard sentencing range is 60 months in prison and the maximum sentence is five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

 

FIRE AND EMS CALLS

• Between Wednesday morning and Friday morning, Lewis County 911 Communications logged approximately 37 illness-related calls, nine injury-related calls, eight fire-related calls, seven non-emergency service calls, eight vehicle accidents, one 911-hangup call, one overdose, one hazardous conditions report and two other calls.

 

JAIL STATISTICS

• As of Friday morning, the Lewis County Jail had a total system population of 159 inmates, including 146 in the general population and 13 in the Work Ethic and Restitution Center (WERC). Of general population inmates, 107 were reported male and 39 were reported female. All 13 WERC inmates were reported female.

• As of Friday morning, the Chehalis Tribal Jail had a total system population of 13 inmates, including six booked by the Centralia Police Department, three booked by the state Department of Corrections, one booked by the Tulalip Tribe, one booked by City of McCleary and two booked by the Lummi Nation.

•••

Sirens are compiled by assistant editor Emily Fitzgerald, who can be reached at emily@chronline.com. The Centralia Police Department can be reached at 360-330-7680, the Chehalis Police Department can be reached at 360-748-8605. If you were a victim of physical or sexual abuse, domestic violence or sexual assault, call Hope Alliance at 360-748-6601 or the Youth Advocacy Center of Lewis County at 360-623-1990.