Sheriff's Report - January 13, 2011

Man dies of burns

A long-time Elochoman Valley resident died January 4 after his mechanic's overalls caught fire from a heating stove.

The Cathlamet ambulance responded at 2:18 p.m. to aid LeRoy Grasseth, 86. He was transported by ambulance and Life Flight Helicopter to a Portland Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries; a complete obituary may be found elsewhere in this issue.

Wahkiakum County law enforcement officers and emergency response personnel handled a variety of other reports during the past week, including:

January 3--4:05 p.m. A motorist reported a vehicle had run off Deep River Road at the old church; no one was injured. 5:33 p.m. An Elochoman Valley Road resident reported a power outage; Wahkiakum PUD was notified.

January 4--12:54 a.m. The Cathlamet ambulance responded to aid a Cathlamet woman who had taken a drug overdose. 3:57 p.m. The Cathlamet ambulance responded to aid a Greenwood Hill woman with breathing trouble. 4:18 p.m. The Grays River ambulance responded to aid a person whose arm had been broken in an accident with a horse.

January 5--6:44 a.m. The Cathlamet ambulance responded to aid a Greenwood Hill woman with breathing trouble. 10:51 a.m. The Cathlamet ambulance responded to aid a teenage girl having a seizure. 11:10 a.m. A caller said a person had violated a restraining order; an officer investigated. 1:25 p.m. The Cathlamet ambulance responded to take a person to a hospital per doctor's orders. 2:30 p.m. An Altoona-Pillar Rock Road resident reported a person driving a pickup had just dumped animal remains along the road; an officer was advised. 6:01 p.m. A woman reported a man had violated a protection order; an officer investigated. 6:59 p.m. The Cathlamet ambulance responded to aid a woman injured in a fall.

January 6--11:47 a.m. A Covered Bridge Road resident reported a strange man prowling around the property; two officers investigated. 4:11 p.m. The Cathlamet ambulance responded to aid a Cathlamet teenager with back pain. 6:36 p.m. A Rosedale resident reported a man was firing shots at a residence; an officer responded and took a person into custody. 9:52 p.m. The Cathlamet ambulance responded to aid a man at the jail who had been in an altercation.

January 7--10:34 a.m. An Altoona-Pillar Rock Road resident reported that someone dumped animal hide and remains along the road; the call was relayed to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. 10:51 a.m. A Westend resident said a man was threatening suicide; officers and health care workers were dispatched. 11:32 a.m. The Cathlamet ambulance responded to aid a Messinger Hill woman who was very weak. 11:46 a.m. A caller reported a rape of a child; an officer investigated.

January 8--1:01 a.m. The Cathlamet ambulance responded to aid a one-car accident on SR 4 at Skamokawa; the driver was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol; and a passenger with a back injury was transported to a hospital. 1:47 a.m. A Chester Street resident reported hearing young boys voices; when an officer arrived, he found that a traffic sign was down. 3:32 p.m. Corrections officers reported one jail inmate had assaulted another. 9:05 p.m. A motorist reported that a vehicle had run off SR 4 on KM Mountain; no one was injured.

January 9--12:09 a.m. The Cathlamet ambulance responded to aid a Middle Valley resident who had choked on food and was having trouble breathing. 4:23 a.m. A caller said a vehicle had slid off SR 4 on KM Mountain; no one was injured. 6:54 a.m. The Cathlamet ambulance responded to aid a Greenwood Hill man with a bleeding problem. 5:02 p.m. A motorist reported a man had jumped in front of his vehicle on Columbia Street, and when the vehicle had stopped, the man got into it; he had left after a short time; an officer located the man and arrested him on an outstanding warrant.

January 10--4:49 a.m. A motorist reported hitting a beach ball size boulder on SR 4 at the Cowlitz/Wahkiakum county line; his vehicle was disabled; the state patrol was notified.