East County Showdown E-Cigarette Businesses Spring up in Centralia / Main 4 MWP to Meet Mossyrock in Title Game / Sports 1 $1 Midweek Edition Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014 Reaching 110,000 Readers in Print and Online — www.chronline.com Man Killed by Officer Mystery in Napavine Had History Coroner Performs Autopsies on Bodies Found Tuesday of Fighting and Fleeing COURT RECORDS: Joseph R. Wharton Was Previously Charged in Other Regions for Escaping From Jail and Assaulting, Fleeing and Obstructing Police By Stephanie Schendel [email protected] The man who was fatally shot by a Centralia police officer last week has a criminal record that spans multiple states. He also had a habit of fighting or fleeing police officers during arrests, according to court records that detail his previous criminal convictions. He also was previ- ously accused and charged for escaping from a jail and of mul- tiple counts of tampering with a witness. Pete Caster / [email protected] Centralia po- Joseph R. Wharton Lewis County Coroner Warren McCloud leaves the residence at 115 E. Stella St. in Napavine on Tuesday morning. Two bodies were found early Tuesday at the lice officer Phil shot and killed house in Napavine. Weismiller shot Joseph R. Whar- any further information about release. according to the release. The ton multiple times last Thursday UNDER INVESTIGATION: their deaths. The person who found the sheriff said they do not believe morning after a confrontation in The Bodies of a which police say the 48-year-old The Lewis County Coro- bodies was a coworker of the a third party was involved in Westport man refused repeated 60-Year-Old Man and ner’s Office said the autopsies woman who had become con- the deaths. orders to drop the knife he was a 50-Year-Old Female are scheduled for today. cerned when the woman did Police and crime scene holding. Wharton also told police The 60-year-old man and not show up for work on Tues- technicians arrived on scene he had a gun, though no gun was Were Found Inside a 50-year-old woman, whose day, said Sheriff Steve Mans- Tuesday morning and roped located, according to police. Their Napavine Home names were not released, were field. the block off with crime scene Wharton’s long-term girlfriend, found dead, with no signs of When no one answered the tape. Sandra Ziady, told The Chronicle By Stephanie Schendel lethal injury, inside a house door, the person forced entry Police will await an autopsy on the 100 block of East Stella to the home and found the and a toxicology report before on Monday that while Wharton [email protected] had a long-standing issue with Street inside Napavine city lim- man and woman dead inside, determining the causes and drugs, to her knowledge he had NAPAVINE — The Lewis its, according to a press release he said. The coworker left the manners of their deaths. been clean for the past six months. County Sheriff’s Office is wait- from the sheriff’s office. house and called police. Due to the complex nature She said he had been drinking “a ing for autopsies to be conduct- The man and woman were There was no other signs of the investigation, the sher- little” on the night of the his death. ed on the two bodies found in related and lived together in of forced entry to the home iff’s office, not Napavine police, a Napavine home early Tues- the house where their bodies and no obvious signs of lethal will handle the investigation, please see KILLED, page Main 12 day morning before releasing were located, according to the injury to the man or woman, the sheriff said. Work Ongoing to Replace Two Washed- Out Bridges on Willapa Hills Trail OPEN THIS SUMMER: New Trail in West Lewis County Washington State Parks will open to the public later spokeswoman Virginia Painter Bridges to Span Chehalis this summer, according to state said Wednesday that Justice River at Dryad and parks officials. Trucking and Backhoe, Gleno- The flood of December 2007 ma, was awarded a $3.3 million Spooner Road washed out old railroad trestles contract to replace the Dryad and Spooner Road bridges. The By Christopher Brewer at Dryad and an area west of Adna near Spooner Road, cre- cost of the overall project, which [email protected] Pete Caster / [email protected] ating gaps in a still-ongoing includes surveying, permit- In this Sept. 19, 2013 ile photo, people look down to the Chehalis River from the New structures to replace project to connect the city of ting and other work necessary to prepare the area for the new future location of a suspension bridge over the river that will connect the Willapa two washed-out bridges along Raymond with Chehalis via a Trail during a Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority tour stop. what is now the Willapa Hills 50-mile-long trail. please see BRIDGES, page Main 12 The Chronicle, Serving The Greater Weather Seeking Re-election Deaths Lewis County Area Since 1889 TONIGHT: Low 34 Phillips, Maurice L. “Jim,” 99, Follow Us on Twitter Kathy Toledo TOMORROW: High 47 @chronline Mostly cloudy Brack Will Shook, Lewis “Bud,” 80, see details on page Main 2 Winlock Campaign Gordon, Juanita I., 90, Olympia Find Us on Facebook to Remain Norris, Jerry R., 64, Chehalis www.facebook.com/ Weather picture by Joseph thecentraliachronicle Miess, Onalaska County Clerk Moog, Clifton W., 100, Centralia / Main 9 Davis, Charles W., 64, Chehalis CH514756cz.sw Main 2 The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, Wash., Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014 COMMUNITY CALENDAR / WEATHER Community Calendar Today WHAT’S HAPPENING? If you have an event you “Almost, Maine,” 7 p.m., Wickstrom Stu- would like included in the dio Theatre, Centralia College, tickets $10 Community Calendar, please for adults, $8 for students and senior citi- zens. (360) 736-9391, ext. 525 email your information to Open mic, 6:30 p.m., Matrix Coffee- [email protected]. house, Chehalis, (360) 740-0492 Include a daytime telephone Chris Guenther, 7:30 p.m., PJ’s Pizza, number where you can be 1232 Alder St., Centralia, (360) 736-0101 reached. Basket class, with Carolyn Snedigar, There is no charge for these Editor’s Best Bet 10 a.m., White Pass Country Museum, listings. 12990 U.S. Highway 12, Packwood, (360) For questions about Corbet Theatre to Host Rotary Spelling Bee 494-4031 calendar items, call Doug “Brothers Grimm and the Showgirl,” 7:30 Blosser at The Chronicle, (360) The Centralia Rotary “Catch pants and attendees are encour- p.m., Evergreen Playhouse, Centralia, pay 807-8238. the Buzz” Spelling Bee will be aged to dress as their favorite ac- as you will at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Centralia tor or movie. “Let’s Grow a Garden,” 10-11:30 College’s Corbet Theatre. The spelling bee is a fun- a.m., 4162 Jackson Highway, free, (360) 262-0525 ries by Michael Horne, $10, (360) 740-0492 Four-person teams from draiser for the restoration of Libraries “Brothers Grimm and the Showgirl,” 8 businesses and organizations in Centralia’s Fox Theatre. Rotary p.m., Evergreen Playhouse, Centralia, $15 the community will be compet- president Debbie Schinnell has Book Babies, for babies birth-24 ing for the grand prize. chosen the theater’s second-floor months, 10 a.m., Chehalis, 11 a.m., Libraries Centralia Admission is $10, which in- lounge for restoration. Family Story Time, for all ages, 10 a.m., cludes a potato bar. No-host beer For more information, call Family Story Time, for children age 3 Chehalis through third grade, 11:45 a.m., Randle and wine will be available from Julie Shaffley, (360) 736-3830, or Preschool Story Time, for children 3-6 Youth PageTurners Book Club, for years, 10 a.m., Chehalis Heymann Whinery. Partici- Lynn Ford, (360) 269-8837 youths grade 4-6, 3:30 p.m., Tenino Family Story Time, for children, 10:30 The Knitting Circle, for adults, 4 p.m., a.m., Winlock Salkum Support Groups Creek Grill, Lucky Eagle Casino, (360) 273- Eagles, quarter-pound hamburgers, $1.50, Saturday, Feb. 22 2000, ext. 301 other menu items, (360) 736-1146 “Up From Grief,” for those grieving the loss of a loved one, 1-2:30 p.m., Assured Gardening for Everyone, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Free community dinner, 5:30-7 p.m., Home Hospice, 2120 N. Park St., Centralia, Biggs to Hold Book Signing Washington Hall, Centralia College, spon- Centralia United Methodist Church, 506. S. (360) 330-2640 sored by WSU Lewis County Master Gar- Washington Ave., (360) 736-7311 at Nazarene Church deners, (360) 740-1212, http://lewis-mg- mrc.org Friday, Feb. 21 Michael Biggs, former worship “Brothers Grimm and the Showgirl,” 8 Tuesday, Feb. 25 leader at Centralia Church of the p.m., Evergreen Playhouse, Centralia, $15 “Almost, Maine,” 8 p.m., Wickstrom Stu- Nazarene, will be holding a book Lewis County Home & Remodel Show, dio Theatre, Centralia College, tickets $10 signing 2-4 p.m. Saturday at the sponsored by Lewis County chapter of Class Offered on for adults, $8 for students and senior citi- church. Olympia Master Builders, 10 a.m-5 p.m., Defensive Driving zens. (360) 736-9391, ext. 525 Biggs has published his first Southwest Washington Fairgrounds, free, Centralia Jazz Band to Perform at Cen- (360) 75400912 or visit www.omg.org The AAA Driver Improvement tralia Methodist Church soft-cover book. “The Letters” contains 100 letters from God, of- Program will be offering a re- An evening of Jazz and Good Food will fresher course in defensive driving be held Friday, Feb.