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The Chronicle - Centralia
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Southwest Washington man pleads guilty to murders of ex-girlfriend and 7-year-old daughter last year
A Vancouver man arrested in the deaths of his ex-girlfriend and her young daughter pleaded guilty to aggravated murder charges Thursday in Clark County Superior Court. Kirkland Warren’s plea came just days before his trial was set to begin Monday. Warren initially pleaded not guilty last year after his former girlfriend, Meshay Melendez, and her 7-year-old daughter, Layla Stewart, were found dead near a rural road near Washougal in March 2023. Warren’s sentencing is set for Oct. 8. Melendez and Stewart were reported missing on March 18, 2023, six days after they had both last been seen with Warren, who was quickly named a person of interest in the case. Warren had just been released from jail and was subject to a no-contact order due to allegations of shooting at Melendez’s apartment and threatening her. In phone calls Warren made to Melendez from jail before her disappearance, Warren blamed Melendez for his arrest and urged her to “please keep trying” to find a way to get the domestic-violence charges dropped, according to court documents. On the night of March 11, 2023, Melendez, Stewart and Warren stayed at a friend’s house in Vancouver. According to the friend, Warren and Melendez left and returned several times throughout the night. The friend told investigators that she last saw them when Warren came back to her home to pick up Stewart the next morning. At that time, the friend noticed that Melendez was in the backseat of Warren’s car and assumed she was asleep. Investigators later determined that Warren had shot Melendez several hours before he picked up Stewart. Vancouver Police Department detectives later tracked Warren’s cellphone activity the next day to an area along Southeast Wooding Road in Washington, where authorities found the bodies of Melendez and Stewart in a roadside ditch on March 22, 2023. The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office found that both died from gunshot wounds to the head. Authorities found blood from Melendez and Stewart inside of Warren’s car. The medical examiner also found DNA evidence that Warren raped Stewart, according to court records. According to The Columbian, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Toby Krauel said Warren also agreed to plead guilty to a first-degree murder charge in Arkansas in the murder of 57-year-old Curtis Urquhart, who was shot in the head and found in a ditch in 2017. “From our standpoint, he only has one life to live, and … he’s going to spend the rest of his life in prison,” Krauel said after Thursday’s hearing, as reported by The Columbian. “These charges adequately reflect the serious and horrendous nature of this offense.” ©2024 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit oregonlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. |
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Corwin brothers hoping to make the most of year together
Last fall, Centralia’s Jacoby Corwin earned a singles alternate spot at state, but he didn’t end up appearing in the tournament. Corwin is ready to take another crack at qualifying for state this fall, and he gets to do it with a familiar face on the court beside him. The senior is making the switch back to doubles, and joining him will be his brother, freshman Zander Corwin. “I’m really looking forward to playing with him,” Zander said, while Jacoby nodded in agreement and smiled. As brothers do, the Corwin’s have played many sports together growing up, including pickleball, volleyball, and basketball. They’ve always stood out on the tennis court, and now together, they’re hoping to go far in their lone season of high school tennis together. “I think we can maybe make it to state,” Zander said. Jacoby concurred, adding “that’s the goal.” Zander doesn’t anticipate it taking very long for them to find a rhythm together on the court. Dating back to before they were on the high school team, sometimes the two would play together at the high school practice to help out when there weren’t enough players. Centralia coach Keith Hopkins, who returns for his second stint as the coach after serving the same role from 2011-20, said that reaching the state tournament is a very reachable goal for the Tigers’ top duo. Hopkins has a bit of history with the Corwin family, as he also coached Jacoby and Zander’s older brothers in the past. The Corwin’s aren’t the only brother duo on the Tigers this season, as Kadin and Jordan Yeung will be Centralia No. 2 doubles team. Hopkins also has high hopes for the Yeungs, and he also coached their older brother in the past. “The family tradition continues, and that’s a special thing,” Hopkins said. “I’m anticipating good things.” The Yeung’s got their first action of the season on Monday, defeating a duo from Northwest Christian (Lacey). Due to low numbers from NW Christian, the Corwins will have to wait until Wednesday, when the Tigers travel to Aberdeen, for their first high school match together. The Tigers and Wolverines also got a singles match in, as Jonah Lowe lost a tight, three-set match 4-6, 6-1, (9-11). Hopkins is excited to see how Lowe, the pair of duos, and the rest of the Tigers develop over the course of the fall. “I’m just amazed, even the difference between Day 1, Week 1, Week 2, the improvement I see is phenomenal,” Hopkins said. “Watching them grow is a really cool thing.” |
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News Dump Ep. 201: Get off my lawn emergency responders, demands local man
On the 201st episode of The Chronicle News Dump, hosts Aaron VanTuyl, Chronicle Editor-in-Chief Eric Schwartz and photographer Kody Christen discuss water retention facilities, bats, when to drive on another man’s lawn, 911 systems, chain restaurants, and Kody’s week of project meetings. Email us at chroniclenewsdump@gmail.com. Brought to you by SUMMIT FUNDING, CHEHALIS OUTFITTERS and THE ROOF DOCTOR! Listen to past episodes or subscribe here: https://apple.co/3sSbNC5. |
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Bail set at $500,000 for man accused of stabbing a woman in Napavine 
Bail is set at $500,000 for a man accused of stabbing a woman multiple times in Napavine early Friday morning and evading capture before turning himself in Saturday afternoon. Kyle Dean Scott, 44, of Lacey, was charged Monday, Sept. 9, in Lewis County Superior Court with one count each of first-degree assault, domestic violence; violation of a court order; and assault in violation of a court order. Each charge carries a deadly weapon enhancement. Scott is accused of going to the victim’s Napavine residence — in violation of a no-contact order stemming from a 2022 conviction for second-degree assault — on Washington Street sometime before 12:30 a.m. on Sept. 6, according to court documents. Scott and the victim reportedly began arguing and Scott allegedly slapped the victim, pushed her to the ground and sat on her before stabbing her multiple times in the arm. The victim reported Scott then let her get up, at which point she fled to a neighbor’s house and called police. Officers with the Napavine Police Department were dispatched to the assault at approximately 12:32 a.m., according to court documents. When officers arrived, they made contact with the victim, who was standing on the sidewalk “covered in blood and … holding a white towel to her arm.” Officers reported seeing “numerous stab wounds to her arms” and noted “her left wrist appeared to be broken, as it was disfigured.” Officers reportedly found Scott’s vehicle parked outside the victim’s residence and found “a small knife in the sink that had blood on it” inside the victim’s residence, but were unable to locate Scott. He reportedly turned himself in to his community corrections officer on Sept. 7 and was booked into the Lewis County Jail at 4:30 p.m. that day, according to court documents and jail records. “Without referring to allegations, I know there are two sides to every story,” defense attorney Rachael Tiller said Monday, adding that will “come out” in court as the case progresses. When advised by a judge that his conditions of release prohibited him from contacting the victim until the case is resolved, Scott said, “I have no intention to ever talk to her again.” Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 12. |
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Lewis County PUD marks broadband internet milestone
As the world adjusts to an increased demand for a reliable high-speed internet connection, the Lewis County Public Utility District (PUD) celebrated a milestone in rural western Lewis County on Friday: its first connections on a grant-funded, fiber-to-the-premises broadband network. “It’s a turning point for the PUD,” said PUD General Manager David Plotz. “We have now officially switched from being an electricity provider to an electricity and broadband service provider.” In the years ahead, the PUD will continue to branch out into rural areas throughout the county as it expands its new broadband network. The first phase of the project will expand service into the Boistfort area through a $4.25 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). According to Plotz, the expansion comes after a 2020 survey of customers found that 70% of respondents did not have access to broadband internet. After developing a broadband access plan, the PUD has secured grants to expand broadband access throughout Lewis County through five projects. When completed, the projects will serve more than 8,000 households in the county, about a “third of what the actual need,” Plotz said. According to the PUD, the projects are expected to be completed by December 2027. According to the PUD, electric rates will not go up due to the projects, as the program is funded through federal grants. Phil Eggman, a spokesperson for the USDA, said the agency’s mission goes far beyond meat inspections and other agricultural-specific projects. “If anybody had a child or a medical problem post-COVID or during COVID, you know how important broadband is,” Eggman said. “And the Public Utility District is the perfect example of a model that can bring private and public together.” PUD Commissioner Ed Rothlin said the expansion comes after the department struggled for years to entice vendors to rural parts of the county. “It just didn’t pencil out,” Rothlin said. “It costs too much, which isn’t good for the customer.” As an example of what the broadband will offer customers, the PUD displayed 10 screens that streamed sports highlights and other content seamlessly through one connection. Cliff Monroe, the first residential customer to receive the new broadband service, said the new service had been “smooth” and “wonderful.” The service, which Monroe said was live for approximately a week, came after he struggled for years to get reliable internet service, first through a phone company and then through satellite. “I can’t thank the parties enough that have helped to bring that out here,” Monroe said. “It’s just been amazing, the speed has been great. I’ve had no problems.” While he was excited for the service, Monroe said he was also looking forward to another milestone. “I’m looking forward to removing three or satellite dish brackets off of my roof,” Monroe said. “And to be able to use phone, TV and internet through one provider. It’s been a dream.” To find out more about the project, and to see when the new service could come to your house, visit lcpud.broadbandportal.net/. “Look at what we’ve done, and it’s all integrated with those other programs, the low income-senior program, the vegetation management program and now the broadband,” Plotz said. “And all need to work well together.” |
Columbian Newspaper
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49ers spoil Aaron Rodgers’ return with a 32-19 win over Jets
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Aaron Rodgers’ long-awaited return to the field was spoiled by San Francisco as the 49ers got 147 yards rushing and a touchdown from fill-in back Jordan Mason in a 32-19 victory over the New York Jets on Monday night. |
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Clark County sheriff’s deputies find suspicious devices left at abandoned home in Sifton area
Suspicious devices left at an abandoned home were detonated Monday after the Clark County Sheriff’s Office called in the regional explosive detonation unit. |
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Vancouver police arrest two 18-year-olds with guns outside Mountain View High School
Vancouver police arrested two teens with loaded guns outside of Mountain View High School on Monday after responding to reports of an online threat. |
NYT Politics
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Conservative German Princess Says She Hosted Justice Alito at Her Castle
Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis said Justice Alito and his wife were guests at St. Emmeram Palace for a summer music festival. She called the couple her “friends” and the justice “a hero.”
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Trump Steps Up Threats to Imprison Those He Sees as Foes
The former president is vowing to prosecute those he sees as working to deny him a victory, while laying the groundwork to claim large-scale voter fraud if he loses.
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