CENTRALIA POLICE DEPARTMENT
Assault
• A first-degree assault that occurred in 2021 was reported just after 11:20 a.m. on Jan. 8. The case is under investigation.
Hit-and-run
• A 20-year-old Chehalis man was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for a hit-and-run that occurred at the intersection of Johnson Road and Reynolds Avenue just after 11:40 a.m. on Jan. 8. The man and his vehicle were located in a nearby residential area.
Criminal trespass
• A disorderly Spanaway man reportedly refused to get off a train in the 200 block of North Railroad Avenue when asked just after 5 p.m. on Jan. 8. The man was trespassed from Amtrak property at the company’s request.
• A homeless man reportedly “locked himself inside the womens’ bathroom and was refusing to come out” inside a business in the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue just before 10:10 p.m. on Jan. 9. Employees were in the process of closing. The man was leaving when an officer arrived.
Theft
• An attempted theft at an outlet store in the 1300 block of Lum Road was reported just after 5:40 p.m. on Jan. 8. Officers located the suspects, but the store did not want to pursue criminal charges.
• A homeless man reportedly stole two packs of cigarettes and a lighter from a convenience store in the 400 block of West Main Street at approximately 5:35 p.m. on Jan. 8. The suspect allegedly reached over the counter and grabbed the cigarettes from the store clerk before fleeing. Officers located the man, 26, of Centralia, later that day and arrested him for first-degree theft. Additional third-degree theft charges were referred to Centralia Municipal Court.
Harassment
• A homeless man was reportedly “yelling at customers and employees, throwing items off the shelves, swinging a stick around, and threatening the employees” of a business in the 600 block of South Tower Avenue just after 6 p.m. on Jan. 8. The man, identified as Sheldon Martell Moren, 62, of Chehalis, was ultimately arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail for harassment/threat to kill, criminal trespass and resisting arrest. Charges were filed in Lewis County Superior Court on Jan. 9.
DUI
• A 34-year-old Vancouver man was arrested in the 100 block of West High Street at approximately 11:10 a.m. on Jan. 9 and was booked into the Lewis County Jail for driving under the influence of narcotics.
Drug violations
• A 26-year-old Centralia resident and a 35-year-old Rochester resident were arrested in the 100 block of South Tower Avenue at approximately 2:35 p.m. on Jan. 9 and were booked into the Lewis County Jail for possession of narcotics.
• A 33-year-old Chehalis woman was cited for possession of meth in the 1400 block of Harrison Avenue just before 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 9.
Eluding
• A 35-year-old Chehalis man was cited for eluding police after an officer attempted to stop him for a traffic violation on a motorcycle in the 1900 block of South Gold Street at approximately 4:40 p.m. on Jan. 9. The man fled the area, failing to stop for the officer and driving recklessly to get away. Officers with the Chehalis Police Department ultimately located him. When contacted, he allegedly “admitted to failing to stop for officers on at least two occasions,” according to the Centralia Police Department.
Homeless men at the post office
• A caller reported three homeless men were inside a post office in the 200 block of Centralia College Boulevard at 6:15 p.m. on Jan. 9. One of the men was reportedly “passed out” and another was “playing loud music.” An officer walked through “but did not observe illegal activity and did not have the authority to trespass the subjects,” according to the Centralia Police Department. A second person called to express concern about the men in the post office just before 8:15 p.m. that same day. An officer offered the men a ride to the cold weather shelter, which was refused.
CHEHALIS POLICE DEPARTMENT
Fraud
• A case involving the “unlawful issuance (of) bad checks” reported in the 1500 block of North National Avenue just after 10:35 a.m. on Jan. 8 is under investigation.
Burglary
• At 12:40 p.m. on Jan. 8, a possible burglary that occurred in the 300 block of Southwest Third Street sometime the day prior was reported. The caller initially reported someone had stolen her radio, but after an officer checked the residence, she reportedly said the radio hadn’t been stolen.
Drug violation
• A subject was arrested at the intersection of Southwest 13th Street and Southwest Wilson Avenue just before 1:25 p.m. on Jan. 8 and was booked into the Lewis County Jail for a synthetic drug violation.
Malicious mischief
• A case of third-degree malicious mischief reported in the 300 block of Southwest Third Street at 1:25 p.m. on Jan. 8 is under investigation.
Assault
• Just after 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 8, a caller reported “some lady just shoved a cart into his leg and started yelling at him” in the 1600 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue. The caller said he wanted to press charges. A fourth-degree assault charge has been referred to a local prosecutor’s office.
Theft
• A vehicle theft was reported in the 1200 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue just after 4 p.m. on Jan. 4.
• Two subjects reportedly shoplifted from a store in the 1700 block of North National Avenue at approximately 6:10 p.m. on Jan. 8. Both subjects were trespassed from the store.
Overdose
• A man in his 50s suffered a possible fentanyl overdose in the 600 block of Northwest Middle Street at 5:35 p.m. on Jan. 8. At the time the incident was reported, the reporting party had administered one dose of Narcan with no results and was attempting CPR. An update on the man’s condition was not available Tuesday afternoon.
Suspicious circumstances
• A caller reported a possible verbal dispute in the 400 block of North Market Boulevard at 6 p.m. on Jan. 8. An officer confirmed there was “no dispute, they were just playing a video game (and) yelling.”
• Just after 7:50 p.m. on Jan. 8, a caller reported someone was possibly trying to break into her shop in the 10 block of Southwest Sixth Street.
• A caller who lives alone asked officers to drive by her residence in the 1100 block of Southwest Cascade Avenue just after 9:05 p.m. on Jan. 8 after an unknown person knocked on her door.
• At approximately 10:20 p.m. on Jan. 8, a caller reported the doors to a store in the 1300 block of Northwest State Avenue were locked and a woman was inside counting money while the business’ website said the store was “supposed to be open.”
LEWIS COUNTY JAIL STATISTICS
As of Wednesday 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, 122 were reported male and 24 were reported female. Of the WERC inmates, 11 were reported male and two were reported female.
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Sirens are compiled by reporter 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.
