Longview Police are following up on a burglary reported yesterday morning at the CAPtured Treasures clothing shop, located at the corner of Commerce and Hudson. Just after 8 am, employees reported the break-in, saying that someone had broken a window on the Commerce Avenue side of the store. Police say that the suspect then reached inside, stealing a laptop computer and a Magic Jack phone device. No suspects have been identified.
The Cowlitz County Health Department is announcing the schedule for its move to a building on Ocean Beach Highway, a move that will actually close the department for a couple of days. The Health Department is moving into Suite 1-B of the Colonnade Building at 900 Ocean Beach Highway, a move that will take place at the end of next week. Health Department officials say that services will be unavailable on Friday, the 10th and on Monday, the 13th, then they’ll re-open for business on Tuesday, the 14th. The department’s main phone numbers will remain the same, but employees will be getting new extension numbers. Those numbers will be posted on the Health Department web page, or can be provided directly to you. The move only deals with the Health Department; the Cowlitz County Human Services Department will remain at its current location, at 1952 9th Avenue in Longview. Call 414-5599 for additional information.
Thanks to some grant money from the Washington Department of Agriculture, they’ll be making some improvements to the Cowlitz County Fairgrounds. The County Commissioners are approving Interagency Agreements with the Fairs Program, accepting a total of $40,500 in grants. Cowlitz County Event Center Director Mike Moss says that the dollars are intended to help improve safety at fair venues. He says that they submitted five grant applications, and were successful on three. They’re going to get $18,176 that will go to renovation of the restrooms at the Indoor Riding Arena, $17,857 that will pay for re-roofing of the Floral Building, and $4,520 that will pay for some additional lighting at the south end of the fairgrounds. Moss and Cowlitz County Fair coordinator Kathi Mattinen says that it’s more than likely that this will be the last year of the grant program, given the state’s budget woes.
Starting today, Forest Road 25 will be closed at Benham Creek, as a temporary bridge is removed and a permanent bridge is installed. The old bridge was destroyed a large landslide, caused by the floods of January 2009. The popular road at the north end of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest was shut down for some time, until a temporary bridge was installed. That helped restore some access to places like Windy Ridge and Spirit Lake. Forest Service officials say that the heavy equipment that will be used in the bridge replacement has arrived, so work is ready to begin. They also say that the new bridge will be built with abutments and pre-stressed girders that should be able to withstand any future slides. The goal is to have the new bridge installed and open for the Fourth of July holiday.
At 9 am today, this year’s permits for climbing Mount St. Helens will become available. The permits will be available through the Mount St. Helens Institute, sold through their website at mshinstitute.org. The Forest Service says that permits are needed year-round for climbing Mount St. Helens, helping them to know who and how many people are on the mountain in the event of an emergency. From November to March, the permits are free, with no limit on the number of permits per day. From April 1st to May 14th, there’s still no limit on the number of daily permits, but there is a $22 charge. Between May 15th and October 31st, there’s a limit of 100 permits per day on the mountain, an effort to try and help manage the impact on the volcano’s regeneration. You can pick the permits up at the Lone Fir Resort in Cougar. Go onto the Forest Service website or the Mount St. Helens Institute website for more information.
The Cowlitz County Prosecutor’s Office is dropping the child molestation and child rape charges that had been filed last week against former Cellular Connections owner Kenneth Merrell of Longview, saying that further investigation into the case needs to be done. Chief Deputy Prosecutor Michelle Schaffer says that they’re returned the case to the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office, and have withdrawn the charges that led to Merrell’s arrest on the 25th. They’re also rescinding no-contact orders that were issued at that time. Merrell calls the claims that were made against him completely unfounded, saying that they are the product of a personal vendetta against him. Merrell says that he’s disappointed that such scurrilous and heinous claims would be made against him, and he’s hopeful that this ugly incident can be put to rest.
The effort resumes this morning, trying to find a 15 year-old Longview boy who has gone missing. Just before 6 am yesterday, the parents of Evan Byman called the Sheriff’s Office, reporting that their son was missing. The parents say that he’d left a note, saying that he was going camping for a week in the woods near their home off of Eufala Heights Road, and they shouldn’t come looking for him. It’s believed that he may still be in the area of Eufala Heights and Harmony Creek. Deputies say that they don’t know what kind of clothing Byman has with him, but they believe that he has some black rubber boots, a 20-gauge shotgun and a sleeping bag, with minimal food and water. Chief Administrative Deputy Corey Huffhine says that Byman is considered to be a runaway at this time. Sheriff’s Deputies and Reserves checked the area where he’s thought to have gone, without success. That search is planned to continue this morning. An emergency phone notification also went out to other residents of the area. Huffhine says that they’re asking people to keep an eye out for Byman, and to call 911 if they have information on his whereabouts. You can also call CrimeStoppers at 577-1206 if you wish to remain anonymous.
Denise Munoz, 54, of Vancouver, B. C. is being charged with second-degree negligent driving after a passenger in her car was injured in a one-car crash that took place yesterday afternoon on I-5 near Kalama. State Troopers say that the crash happened a few minutes after 4 pm, at milepost 33 northbound. They say that Munoz fell asleep at the wheel, then woke up when her car hit the rumble strip on the left side of the highway. She overcorrected to the right, crossed all three lanes of the freeway, then hit the guard rail. Her passenger, who wasn’t wearing a seat belt, suffered a broken nose and facial lacerations in the crash. Rosa Munoz-Cespedes, 56, of Vancouver was taken to St. John Medical Center, where she was treated and released. Denise Munoz was cited and released.
Tyler Peabody, 21, of Woodland is going to prison for four years, sentenced in connection with a fatal car crash that took place last August near Amboy. 76 year-old Roy Thorp of Vancouver was killed when Peabody lost control of his Mustang, crashing head-on into the Subaru being driven by Thorp. A passenger in Thorp’s car was also seriously injured. The Vancouver Columbian reports that Peabody entered a guilty plea to charges of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault, also admitting that he’d been drinking prior to the crash. A passenger in Peabody’s car was also seriously injured. At Friday’s sentencing hearing, Peabody admitted that his actions were “selfish,” and he apologized to Thorp’s family. He also vows to learn from his mistakes.
Kelso Police are looking into a series of car prowls reported in the area of Apple Lane, Haussler Road and Vista Way. The first call came in around 5:45 yesterday morning, with additional calls coming in through the day. At least ten victims have been identified. Kelso Police have yet to locate any suspects.
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