Lewis County Superior Court
The following list is not comprehensive. Superior Court records can be accessed at the Lewis County Clerk’s Office in Chehalis.
Preliminary appearances
• Matthew W. Krom, 43, Olympia, made a preliminary appearance Aug. 7 for one count each of first-degree theft and obtaining a signature by deception or duress after he allegedly requested an upfront payment of over $30,000 to replace a client’s roof and then failed to complete the work. Krom also allegedly made himself unreachable by phone or email. Surveillance footage allegedly shows Krom depositing the victim’s check. According to court documents, Krom’s business has four pending lawsuits against it in King, Mason, Thurston and Grays Harbor counties. A judge released Krom on his own recognizance and scheduled an arraignment for Aug. 13.
• Roger A. Batchelor Jr., 31, Centralia, made a preliminary appearance Aug. 7 for one count of second-degree theft after he allegedly stole $1,343.96 worth of merchandise from the Chehalis Walmart while working at the store. According to court documents, Batchelor allegedly admitted to the thefts, and said he committed them “to provide for his child.” A judge released Batchelor on his own recognizance and scheduled an arraignment for Aug. 13.
• Andrea M. Harris, 39, Randle, made a preliminary appearance Aug. 10 for one count each of residential burglary and violation of a court order — both considered domestic violence offenses — after she allegedly violated a protection order by entering the home of the protected person. A judge set bail at $25,000 cash or bond and scheduled an arraignment for Aug. 13.
CENTRALIA POLICE DEPARTMENT
Accidents
• Harold Gillespie, 49, Centralia, was issued a criminal citation for alleged third-degree driving with a suspended license after falling from his motorcycle.
Counterfeiting
• Police received a report of a counterfeit $100 bill being deposited at a local bank from a business out of Thurston County. The report was made in the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue at about 10:08 a.m. Aug. 10. Officers contacted the Thurston County business to inquire about possible video surveillance showing a transaction where the counterfeit bill was passed. Police said none was available.
Criminal trespass
• Zachary Greene, 51, Centralia, was issued a criminal citation for alleged second-degree criminal trespass in the 200 block of East Cherry Street at about 3:23 p.m. Aug. 10.
Department assist
• Officers responded to a reported DUI that had been dispatched to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. Officers assisted by locating the suspect near the corner of Harrison Avenue and Sandra Avenue at about 4:55 p.m. Aug. 10. Officers conducted standardized field sobriety tests and took the suspect into custody before turning him over to deputies.
• Officers responded to a reported overdose in the 2000 block of Sharon Street at about 7:27 p.m. Aug. 11. The officers provided medical care until personnel from the Riverside Fire Authority and Medix arrived to give advanced treatment.
Dispute
• Officers responded to a reported dispute involving a participant brandishing a knife in the 1100 block of Harrison Avenue at about 4:11 p.m. Aug. 11. Officers interviewed multiple parties and received discrepant accounts of what had occurred. Based on the interviews, officers could not establish probable cause for an arrest.
Drug paraphernalia
• Tyler J. Allen, 34, Bremerton, and Amie M. Devlin, 34, Onalaska, were arrested and issued criminal citations for alleged use/delivery of drug paraphernalia in the 400 block of South Oak Street at about 9:51 p.m. Aug. 11.
Hit-and-run
• Police responded to a reported hit-and-run collision in the 600 block of North Tower Avenue at about 4:17 p.m. Aug. 10. The collision had reportedly occurred in the parking lot of a local business sometime earlier in the day. No suspect information was known at the time.
• A hit-and-run was investigated in the 600 block of North Tower Avenue at about 6:10 p.m. Aug. 11.
Missing person
• Police took a report of a missing person in the 100 block of Virginia Drive at about 11:26 a.m. Aug. 10. The person was last known to be in Reno, Nevada. The report was forwarded to the Reno Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit for follow-up.
Protection order violation
• Fernando Mendoza, 41, Federal Way, was referred to the Centralia Municipal Court for violation of a domestic violence no-contact order in the 900 block of E Street at about 11:53 a.m. Aug. 10 after he allegedly communicated with the protected person through text messages.
• Police investigated a felony-level violation of a domestic violence no-contact order in the 1500 block of Pike Street at about 10:54 p.m. Aug. 10. The suspect, who also had a warrant out for their arrest, fled on foot and was not located.
Welfare check
• A citizen requested a welfare check on an elderly neighbor he had not seen in the past week. Officers responded to a home in the 800 block of H Street at about 8:07 p.m. Aug. 11. Officers knocked on the doors and windows and heard a call from within the residence. They entered the residence and found an elderly woman on the floor. The woman was reportedly “alert and in good spirits considering the circumstances,” police said. She was believed to have been there for two to three days. The Riverside Fire Authority and Medix responded and provided emergency care, before transporting her to the hospital.
CHEHALIS POLICE DEPARTMENT
Arrests and citations
• Cameron N. Heiner, 24, was cited for one count of alleged hit-and-run unattended in the 100 block of Bishop Road at about 8:05 p.m. Aug. 9.
• Elicia Thebiay was booked into the Lewis County Jail for allegedly obstructing a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest in the 1700 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue at about 2:14 p.m. Aug. 10. Thebiay was also referred for alleged possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Donald L. Thayer Jr., 59, was arrested in the 10 block of Northwest Chamber of Commerce Way at about 3:57 p.m. Aug. 10 and booked into the Lewis County Jail on an existing Department of Corrections warrant. Thayer was also issued a criminal citation for alleged possession of a controlled substance.
• Nathan G. Kloecker, 40, was issued a criminal citation for alleged second-degree criminal trespass in the 600 block of West Main Street at about 9:30 p.m. Aug. 10.
• Shamra M. Stuefen, 32, was issued a criminal citation for alleged possession of drug paraphernalia in the 1300 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue at about 3:07 a.m. Aug. 12.
JAIL STATISTICS
• As of Aug. 10, the Lewis County Jail had a total facility population of 154 inmates, including 141 in the general population and 13 in the Work Ethic and Restitution Center (WERC). Of the general population inmates, 108 were reported male and 33 were reported female. Of the WERC inmates, 11 were reported male and two were reported female.
• As of Aug. 12, the Chehalis Tribal Jail had a total jail population of 21 inmates. Of those, seven were from Centralia and six were from the Department of Corrections. Additionally, there were two from the Lummi Nation, two from the Skokomish Tribe, and one each from the Quileute Nation, the Shoalwater Bay Tribe, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Chehalis Tribe.
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Sirens are compiled by reporter Jacob Farmer, who can be reached at jfarmer@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.
