CENTRALIA POLICE DEPARTMENT
Theft
• Wire was reported stolen from city property in the 800 block of Johnson Road just before 11:05 a.m. on Feb. 19.
• A 31-year-old Centralia man was arrested for shoplifting vape cartridges from a store in the 600 block of Harrison Avenue at 8:05 a.m. on Feb. 20.
• A plastic doll was reported stolen from a porch in the 1500 block of Lewis Street just after 12:35 p.m. on Feb. 20.
• A 30-year-old Centralia man was arrested for shoplifting from a store in the 200 block of North Tower Avenue just after 1:05 p.m. on Feb. 20. He reportedly had narcotics and drug paraphernalia in his possession at the time of his arrest.
• A juvenile reportedly stole alcohol from a business in the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue at approximately 7:25 p.m. on Feb. 20.
Scam
• A scam was reported in the 800 block of South Gold Street just before 5:40 p.m. on Feb. 19. The victim reported receiving a phone call from someone who said the victim’s devices had been hacked. The scammer was able to obtain the victim’s personal information and convinced the victim to deposit over $8,000 into a Bitcoin machine, according to the Centralia Police Department.
DUI
• A 32-year-old Lacey man was arrested for DUI in the 1400 block of Lum Road at approximately 1:40 a.m. on Feb. 20.
Criminal trespass
• A homeless Grays Harbor man was warned for trespassing on private property at the intersection of South Iron and West Main streets at approximately 11:15 a.m. on Feb. 20.
Vehicle prowl
• A vehicle prowl reported in the 100 block of South Barner Road just after 1:35 p.m. on Feb. 20 is under investigation.
• A vehicle prowl reported in the 100 block of Sunnyside Drive at approximately 3:20 p.m. on Feb. 20 is under investigation.
Drug violation
• A 48-year-old Kelso man was arrested for possession of narcotics and drug paraphernalia that officers found while arresting him for several outstanding Centralia Municipal Court warrants in the 1100 block of North Tower Avenue just after 1:45 p.m. on Feb. 20. A 44-year-old Chehalis woman was also arrested for Lewis County Drug Court violations.
CHEHALIS POLICE DEPARTMENT
Vehicle prowl
• A vehicle prowl reported in the 100 block of Northeast Oaks Terrace just before 8:35 a.m. on Feb. 19 is under investigation.
Harassment
• Harassment reported in the 1000 block of Southwest 20th Street just before 10:05 a.m. on Feb. 19 is under investigation.
Theft
• Third-degree theft reported in the 1100 block of South Market Boulevard just after 12 p.m. on Feb. 19 is under investigation.
• A subject was arrested for shoplifting a door lock, plants, seeds and small tools from a business in the 1700 block of Northwest Louisiana Avenue just before 1:15 p.m. on Feb. 19.
• At approximately 1:50 p.m. on Feb. 19, a business in the 1100 block of South Market Boulevard reported a juvenile stole a bottle of Fireball from a business at about 1:05 p.m. that day. The juvenile’s parents and school were notified.
Green Hill School
• A custodial assault that occurred on Nov. 18, 2024, was reported at Green Hill School in the 300 block of Southwest 11th Street just after 12:05 p.m. on Feb. 19. Green Hill advised the delay in reporting was “due to tech issues with paperwork,” according to the Chehalis Police Department.
Sexual misconduct
• A case of sexual misconduct involving pornography reported at the intersection of Northwest Airport Road and Northwest Florida Avenue just before 2:05 p.m. on Feb. 19 is under investigation.
Assault
• A subject was arrested for fourth-degree assault after they allegedly punched someone in the nose during a shoplifting attempt in the 600 block of Northeast Franklin Avenue at 3:20 p.m. on Feb. 19.
Suspicious circumstances
• A woman reported a man called to her while she was on her property in the 10 block of Southwest Second Street just before 6:15 p.m. on Feb. 19 and asked “if she was there all alone.”
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 below.
Change of plea
• Christopher Michael Rieg, 41, of Centralia, pleaded guilty Feb. 19 to four counts of first-degree possession of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Sentencing is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Feb. 26.
Sentencing
• Joseph David Whitney-House, 25, of Centralia, pleaded guilty Feb. 19 to one count each of second-degree malicious mischief and third-degree theft. He was sentenced to 14 months in prison.
• Sha Li, 49, pleaded guilty Feb. 19 to one count of unlawful use of a building for drug purposes and was sentenced to 10 days on electronic home monitoring, to commence by March 4.
Resentencing
• Kristy Ann Price, 44, of Centralia, pleaded guilty to violation of community custody on Feb. 19. As a result, her assault and hit-and-run case from July 2024 was resentenced. Price previously pleaded guilty Sept. 4, 2024, to two counts of third-degree assault, domestic violence, and one count each of hit-and-run and possession of a controlled substance by a prisoner. She was initially sentenced Sept. 25 to 68 days in jail with credit for 67 days served, 24 months of community custody and a requirement that she complete a residential drug offender sentencing alternative (DOSA) program. She was resentenced Feb. 19 to 16 months in prison and her DOSA was revoked.
FIRE AND EMS CALLS
• Between Wednesday morning and Friday morning, Lewis County 911 Communications logged approximately 42 illness-related calls, 18 injury-related calls, three fire-related calls, six non-emergency service calls, five vehicle accidents, two Lifeline medical alerts, one pregnancy-related call, one coroner call, one medical helicopter request and five other calls.
JAIL STATISTICS
• As of Friday morning, the Lewis County Jail had a total system population of 150 inmates, including 137 in the general population and 13 in the Work Ethic and Restitution Center (WERC). Of general population inmates, 110 were reported male and 27 were reported female. Of the WERC inmates, 11 were reported male and two were reported female.
• As of Friday morning, the Chehalis Tribal Jail had a total system population of 25 inmates, including seven booked by the Centralia Police Department, 14 booked by the state Department of Corrections, one booked by the Tulalip Tribe, one booked by the Skokomish Tribe and two booked by the Lummi Nation.
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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.
