Press Release Stories

There will be an elevated risk of flooding in Aberdeen on Friday, January 10, 2020. NOAA’s predicted
high tide at Aberdeen on Friday is 11.60 feet (MLLW datum) at 12:21 PM. The National Weather Service
is forecasting that the actual tide will be approximately 0.5 feet higher than NOAA’s prediction (12.10
feet MLLW) due to strong winds and low pressure. Heavy rainfall is forecasted to begin early Friday
morning and continue through the day. The combination of a very high tide and heavy rainfall can result
in internal flooding in the lowlands, especially within two to three hours before and after the high tide.
All of the City’s stormwater pump stations are operational and Public Works crews are ready to respond
to flooding if it occurs.

A single-vehicle traffic accident on US Highway 101 at milepost 111 north of Humptulips resulted in the death of a 29 year old Humptulips woman on Tuesday evening. 

According to the Washington State Patrol report, they were dispatched to this accident on December 17th at 7:06 pm.  However, according to radio traffic, there was indications that the accident occurred earlier and was found by another person at the time of dispatch and call. 

A silver 2012 Volkswagon Jetta was traveling northbound on 101 the vehicle left the road to the right, traveled approximately 200 feet where it vaulted over a ravine and struck an embankment.

The report does state that the driver was wearing a seatbelt and unknown if anything else was involved. 

This morning, just after midnight, Hoquiam officers attempted to stop a mid to late 1980’s red Ford Ranger pick-up truck in the 2400 block of Queets Avenue for a traffic violation.

The truck refused to stop for officers and led them on a pursuit. The truck drove at speeds of 15-20 miles per hour over the speed limit as the driver led officers to East Hoquiam Road where the truck began to travel in the oncoming lane of traffic. Fortunately, there were no other vehicles in the roadway at the time.

Due to the dangers involved, officers terminated the pursuit of the vehicle and it continued northbound on East Hoquiam Road. The truck’s Washington license plate was partially obstructed but the officers were able to see the first three letters/numbers on the license plate were “C63”. Anyone one with information on the vehicle and/or driver is asked to call Sergeant Brian Dayton at the Hoquiam Police Department (360) 532-0892 ext. 284.

The Utah Highway Patrol has released the name of the man who died after a single-vehicle rollover east of Morgan Utah, which is south of Odgen on Monday morning.

Officials have identified the man as Thomas L Rasmussen, 64, of Hoquiam, Washington.

An earlier news release from UHP said the crash occurred on eastbound Interstate 84 at mile marker 106 just after 8:20 a.m.

“The vehicle went off the road to the left, overcorrected to the right and rolled off the side of the roadway,” the news release said. “There were two occupants; one male, one female. The male was ejected and sustained serious injuries. The male died later at the hospital.”

The female sustained minor injuries.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The Washington State Patrol says that there is a new attempt at getting your information and your money in the form of a bomb threat and that some of the threats being made are using spoofed numbers coming from police agencies including the Washington State Patrol itself.  

A sad story out of Mason County this morning as the Washington State Patrol says a 15-year-old and a 43-year-old was killed by a DUI driver Saturday evening before 5:00 pm

According to the report, a 51-year-old Belfair man driving a black 2013 Ford F350 was traveling along Belfair Tahuya Rd. in the westbound direction and crossed the center line colliding head-on with a 1998 Ford Ranger (green) driven by a 17-year-old Belfair teen.  

In the Ford Ranger were 3 passengers a 43-year-old Belfair woman who was wearing her seatbelt and a 15-year-old Belfair teen who the report says was not wearing a seatbelt died at the scene.  The driver of the Ranger (the 17-year-old) and another passenger a 20-year-old Belfair woman were airlifted to Harborview in Seattle. 

The driver of the Ford 350 was not injured with Charges: Vehicular Homicide X2 Vehicle Assault X2.  The WSP report indicates that drugs and or alcohol were involved. 

On 12-14-19 at 6:03 AM, Aberdeen Police Officers were dispatched to a report of a vehicle that drove into a house and knocked down a power pole in the area of the 500 block of North Alder Street.

Officers arrived a short time later and determined a 59 year old Hoquiam resident lost control of her Isuzu Trooper and left the roadway. The vehicle sheared off a city street light and continued through a yard and struck a home in that block. The house and vehicle sustained extensive damage. The residence was occupied, however, no one was in the room that was struck and no one was injured.

The driver potentially sustained minor injuries and was transported to the hospital for treatment. Based on the driver’s behavior, an Aberdeen Police Officer sought a search warrant for the driver’s blood and executed the warrant at the hospital. The driver was issued a citation for driving under the influence.

According to the Aberdeen Police Department, the County Drug Task Force served a search warrant on a known drug nuisance house on Saturday morning that resulted in the arrest of 3 persons.  Here is what we have from them. 

At 11:35 AM on 12/27/19, The Grays Harbor County Drug Task Force with the assistance of the Aberdeen Police Department, Hoquiam Police Department, Cosmopolis Police Department & Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant on a reported drug/nuisance house in the 300 block of North D Street, Aberdeen.

Three people were arrested on outstanding warrants. The two primary tenants, males aged 46 & 48, will be facing charges for allowing a building to be used to sell illegal drugs.

The owners of the property have been contacted and are working with law enforcement to ensure this type of unlawful activity is eliminated from the location and eventually rent it out to new tenants in the future to help improve the neighborhood and city.

On 12/13/19 at just after 4 p.m. Hoquiam Police officers were dispatched to a report of a log truck which had lost its load in the 400 block of 22nd Street.

When officers arrived, they learned a block truck towing a trailer loaded with logs was turning southbound from Simpson Avenue onto 22nd Street when an equipment failure caused the bunks holding the logs to separate from the trailer. The logs and bunks fell from the trailer onto the roadway and into a nearby yard. Some of the logs struck a power pole.

Fortunately, there were no injuries. Grays Harbor PUD responded to the scene and inspected the pole. The power pole was not damaged but some power lines had to be re-secured.

A trooper from the Washington State Patrol Commercial Vehicle Enforcement division responded to the scene. The operator of the truck called for equipment and the roadway was cleared.

The incident was turned over to the Washington State Patrol for further investigation and to take any necessary enforcement action.

The Aberdeen Police Department released an official statement in regards to the Saturday evening shots fired call on Willow Street.  

A 40-year-old Aberdeen man was booked into the Aberdeen Jail Saturday night after shooting at a 37-year old Aberdeen male. 

Just before 11:30 PM Aberdeen officers responded to a residence in the 500 block of Willow St. for a report of shots being fired. 

The 40-year old reported to Harbor Dispatch that he shot at the younger man during an alleged physical altercation.  Arriving officers detained both men at the residence, where they both reside.  Shortly thereafter the 40-year old was taken into custody and booked into at APD for First Degree Assault/Domestic Violence after the initial investigation revealed the suspect fired two shots. 

Nobody in the residence or nearby residences were struck by the discharged rounds.  The initial investigation indicated intoxication was a contributing factor to the events that occurred in the residence.

  Detectives responded and were at the home until around 7 AM this morning.  The criminal investigation is continuing.

The Grays Harbor County Sheriffs Office released more details on the pursuit and accident that took place on Christmas eve December 24th around 2:45 pm that spanned Hoquiam and Aberdeen.  

Undersheriff Brad Johansson said that on 12-24-19 at approximately 7:45 PM a deputy attempted to stop a vehicle driven by a 29-year-old Aberdeen resident that had outstanding felony warrants for his arrest on Lincoln Street in Hoquiam. 

The suspect failed to yield and the deputy started pursuing the vehicle fleeing into the city of Aberdeen. Spike strips had been set up in Aberdeen to stop the suspect vehicle however the suspect changed directions prior to getting to the location of the spike strips.

The suspect’s vehicle eventually struck the concrete jersey barrier in front of Five Star Ford and came to a stop. The suspect was taken into custody and was not injured during the collision. A female passenger was in the vehicle and was not injured in the collision.

 Deputies continued the investigation and recovered a firearm which was believed to have been thrown out of the vehicle during the pursuit. A search warrant was served on the vehicle and deputies located suspected heroin, methamphetamine and ammunition. The case will be forwarded to the prosecutor for drug charges, felon in possession of a firearm and felony eluding.

The sheriff’s office was assisted by Hoquiam PD, Aberdeen PD and the Washington State Patrol during the pursuit.

Thursday evening around 8:49 pm there was a report of trees down on State Route 109 near Breckenridge Drive partially blocking the roadway.  According to a Washington State Patrol report a citizen (pedestrian out of their own vehicle) helping direct traffic around the trees to avoid a collision, a 30-year-old Ocean Shores man who was struck by a vehicle that had stopped and had been struck by another vehicle that did failed to stop for traffic. 

A 56-year-old Ocean Shores woman driving a 208 Honda Rav had stopped for the fallen tree and traffic control being performed by the pedestrian when she was struck from behind by a 2018 Ford Edge driven by a 61-year-old Ocean Shores woman. 

The report states that the Ford Edge, 61-year-old Ocean Shores Woman as driving too fast for conditions and as a result of hitting the stopped vehicle the pedestrian was struck by the stopped vehicle. 

The two drivers in the vehicles were not injured however the pedestrian was taken to Community Hospital for his injuries, injuries that we have been told were fairly severe. 

The roadway was either fully blocked or partially blocked with alternating traffic for approximately 3
Hours.

One person was transported to Community Hospital after a traffic accident on State Route 105 and Fairmont Ave on Monday evening around 5:32pm.

According to a Washington State Patrol report a grey 1998 Toyota Tacoma was traveling northbound on SR 105 driven by a 40-year-old Moclips man.  The driver turned onto Fairmont Ave to turn around and was backing up when a second vehicle traveling south on 105 a 1997 Ford Ranger driven by a 65-year-old Grayland woman struck the backing up vehicle that was backing up into the southbound lanes of 105.

The 65-year-old woman was transported to Community Hospital for her injuries, the driver of the Toyota Tacoma cited for Backing up into traffic as the cause of the accident. 

A 44-year-old Shelton woman is in custody for felony eluding after attempting to flee from a traffic stop by a Grays Harbor County deputy.

On 12-19-19 at approximately 12:01 AM the suspect vehicle failed to yield when a deputy attempted to stop the vehicle for a minor traffic violation on Main Street near 14th Street in Elma.

The deputy started to pursue the suspect and an Elma PD officer responded to assist. The vehicle fled on Wakefield Road and attempted to turn onto Lambert Road where it lost control and went off the road.

The deputy attempted to contact the driver in her vehicle that was stuck in the ditch. The suspect was able to free her vehicle from the ditch. She then rammed the Elma PD police car and the Sheriff’s Office car after getting her vehicle out of the ditch.

Officers then pursued the vehicle on Lambert Road when the suspect attempted to turn onto Utility Lane the suspect lost control of the vehicle and left the road getting stuck after it went over a small embankment.

The suspect was taken into custody without incident at this point. The suspect had several outstanding warrants for her arrest. She was booked into jail for felony eluding and two counts of assault for ramming the patrol cars.

A 37-year old Olympia man died in a single vehicle fatality motor vehicle collision in Aberdeen just before 9 PM Monday evening. At 8:47 PM Aberdeen Police officers were dispatched to a collision in the parking lot that serves Robert Gray Elementary and Stewart Field, on B St. at Third Ave. Initial reports were that a vehicle had crashed into the boulders that separate the raised entry off B St. from the lower parking lot. Officers initially were advised the collision may be a hit and run, as there was nobody in the 1993 Ford Taurus, which had come to rest near the center of the lot. When responding officers arrived, the owner/driver was located with severe critical injuries. There were no other passengers in the vehicle.

According to a Washington State Patrol report the accident which occurred on December 2nd, 2019 at 10:27 am on US-101 at Walker Road was due to failure to slow for a turning vehicle and read ended it.  

The log truck a 2006 Peterbilt log truck with its trailers empty and bunked driven by a 29-year-old Elma man and a white 1984 Chevy Blazer driven by a 78-year-old Hoquiam man were both on US-101 northbound at Walker Road when the blazer slowed to make a left hand turn onto Walker Road.  The log truck failed to slow down colliding with the blazer. 

The driver of the blazer was transported to Community Hospital for undisclosed injuries.

According to a social media post by the Hoquiam Police Department, a Montesano man who had moments before exited a vehicle on Sumner Ave Wednesday Afternoon was struck by a DUI driver who also struck 3 parked vehicles. 

We expect a full press release out on this incident early this morning but in the meantime, here is what we have 

Police arrested a man at an Aberdeen home last night after terminating a high-speed pursuit that began in Hoquiam. Sgt Jeff Salstrom said it began just before 11 PM Wednesday night. An officer attempted to stop a 1990 Ford Ranger occupied by two people in West Hoquiam for a traffic violation. The truck sped down Simpson Avenue heading east, toward Aberdeen, crossing a block South to Aberdeen Avenue for a portion of the chase. Salstrom said when the vehicle reached North Park Street in Aberdeen it travelled a block further and turned South the wrong way on US Highay 101 at North Alder Street. The speed and wrong way nature of the chase caused police to terminate their pursuit.

A short time later a Sergent from the Aberdeen Police Department located the vehicle abandoned in an alley in the 100 block of South Lincoln Street. Aberdeen Police K9 tracked two suspects to two nearby homes where one man was arrested on an outstanding warrant from the Department of Corrections. Salstrom said that the vehicle was impounded and the investigation continues.