27/05/2025
Centralia Port harasses citizens
By Lynnette Hoffman
A storm is brewing at the Port of Centralia. On one side stands the Port's elected commissioners and director; on the other, a rapidly growing group of "Centralia Citizens for an Open and Honest Port." This group repeatedly demands transparency, but they claim their requests remain unanswered. Just because an entity can take certain actions doesn't always mean it should.
Created in March 2022, the Facebook group, now with over 1,400 members, explicitly states its purpose: "This group is designed to bring attention to the lack of transparency, respect, and accountability at the Port of Centralia. We are here to provide information and share our experiences so that we may all work together to make a better port."
Jan Banevich, an elderly Centralia resident who helps manage the local page, was recently targeted by Port Commissioner Kyle Markstrom on behalf of Port Director Kyle Heaton. According to documents, Markstrom and Heaton deliberately tried to silence Banevich's attempts to reveal information about the Port's governmental business.
On March 22, 2025, Markstrom, an elected official, used the Port of Centralia letterhead as well as his official title to author a letter to Sheriff Rob Snaza and Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer. Markstrom asked for an investigation into claims that Heaton was being harassed. These claims cited "escalating harassment" from Facebook posts and an unsubstantiated accusation of in-person harassment. The alleged in-person harassment reportedly stemmed from multiple people in the Facebook group claiming that Heaton mowed his girlfriend's lawn during work hours.
On the same day, Banevich was contacted by Deputy Miller of the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, who claimed he was investigating a harassment complaint against Mrs. Banevich. According to Banevich, Deputy Miller told her she was not in any trouble, nor was anyone else; he just wanted 'her side of the story.' Banevich disputed many of the accusations leveled against her in the phone call, so she went to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office the following Monday, March 24, 2025, to request a copy of the complaint. Banevich said she was assisted by two staff members at the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, as well as Deputy Chris Rubin, but no records were located, and Deputy Miller was off duty at that time. After feeling uneasy and confused about the experience, Mrs. Banevich was able to locate a possible case number, ultimately leading to the discovery of the incident.
According to further records requests, the case was opened on March 20, 2025, and should have been available the day Banevich went into the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. The deputy had signed the report under penalty of perjury, stating he completed his investigation and documented his phone call with Banevich, all on the same day – two days before he actually spoke with Banevich.
On May 7, 2025, during a recorded port meeting, Port Commissioner Peter Lahman brought Markstrom’s letter written to Snaza and Meyer to the attention of the port, sharing his concern stating, “I have a concern that it seemed like we were using the power of the Port of Centralia to try and intimidate a citizen.”
Commissioner Lahman admitted that the accusations came from the Facebook group mentioned earlier. However, after reviewing the page, Lahman doubted whether Markstrom's claims were true. He then asked if the Port itself had started an investigation into the serious allegations from Markstrom and Heaton.
Markstrom responded by saying, “It is my hope that, uh, the sheriff’s department and the prosecuting attorney’s office are looking into the allegations that I’ve made…” before Heaton cut off the discussion, stating the matter was under investigation and no further comments would be made. Commissioner Lahman ended the conversation by questioning why the matter was not reported to the Centralia Police Department, given that the port commissioners, as well as Mrs. Banevich, are all located inside Centralia city limits.
Markstrom responded by saying, “Uh, advice I was given was that that would be the appropriate person to forward it to.” Heaton, however, was adversarial and recommended that Lahman contact the prosecutor’s office for more information. It should be noted that Kyle Markstrom made a $250 donation to Sheriff Snaza’s campaign in 2022.
