Klog

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.

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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.

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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.

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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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Thurman Emery Royse II, 20, is under arrest, after he allegedly made threats to kill his stepmother. A woman who identifies herself as Royse’s birth mother claims that he had contacted her Sunday night, asking for help in murdering his stepmother. Longview Police responded to the address on Oregon Way, but Royse was gone when they arrived. They checked several other addresses, without success. Around 4 pm yesterday, another resident of the complex where the birth mother lives called 911, reporting that Royse was back in the area. Officers responded and took Royse into custody a few minutes later. He’s now being held on a local charge of felony harrassment, along with a felony parole violation warrant out of Clatsop County. Royse is being held without bail at this time.

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The special election to replace David Wu in Oregon’s 1st Congressional District concludes tonight. Former Rep. David Wu resigned from Congress in August after a newspaper reported that the 18-year-old daughter of a campaign donor accused the seven-term Democrat of making an unwanted sexual advance. Democrat Susan Bonamici and Republican Rob Cornilles emerged as the front-runners for the seat after a special primary election held last month. For voters who haven’t yet returned their ballots, it’s now too late to mail them in. Drop sites are set up around Columbia County, and will be accepting those ballots until 8 pm tonight. If you’re needing to drop off a ballot, you can go to the city halls in Rainier and Scappoose, the libraries in Clatskanie and Vernonia, the Mist-Berkenfeld fire hall, or at the Columbia County Elections Department in St. Helens. The first results should be published shortly after 8 pm tonight.

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The cases against three more members of ILWU Local 21 are being tossed, with charges of second-degree trespassing dropped in Cowlitz County District Court. The Daily News reports that the charges were filed in connection with the July 11th protest outside of the EGT grain terminal; they say that charges against Leonard Ballenger, 65, Alison Beam, 52, and Shelly Porter, 39, were dismissed. The Cowlitz County Prosecutor’s Office continues to examine and review the individual charges filed against the dozens of people arrested in connection with the protests that took place last summer; Prosecutor Sue Baur announced earlier this year that charges might be dropped in the weaker cases, while they’ll move ahead with the strongest cases.

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It’s now being reported that the fire that destroyed a warehouse in downtown Toledo last August has been found to have been intentionally set. Today’s Daily News reports on the presentation at last week’s Toledo City Council meeting, with Police Chief John Brockmueller discussed the findings of Seattle-based CASE Forensics. The building was being used by the owner, Nicholas Delin, to store items from another business he owned in Winlock, Never the Same Liquidators. Delin’s building in Winlock was also destroyed by fire in 2008; it’s also noted that Delin works as a fire and flood insurance investigator, along with being a volunteer firefighter. The loss of this warehouse had been the second major fire in downtown Toledo in an eight-month span; on Christmas Day 2010, a historic building housing a bookstore, an antique shop and a museum burned to the ground. Brockmueller says that they’re not releasing any additional details at this time, saying that the investigation is ongoing. No suspects have been identified, but he does say several people are being checked out as “persons of interest.”

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A judge from Lewis County is being brought in to deal with the case being brought by retired Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge James Warme. He’s challenging a ticket issued by the City of Longview, where it’s claimed that a car owned by Warme sped through a school zone in May of last year. Warme says that the camera used took a picture of his car, but not the driver. He contends that the city can’t identify the driver, so they don’t actually know who should be ticketed. In a response to Warme’s claim, assistant City Attorney Steve Schuman says that it’s up to Warme to prove that neither he nor his wife were driving the car, saying that the situation is similar to a parking ticket. Today’s Daily News reports that Superior Court Judge Stephen Warning is recusing his court from considering the case, asking for a judge from Lewis County to hear the case instead. Warme retired from the Superior Court bench within the last year.

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