21 arrested in Oregon fire zones

Epoch Times:

Deputies in a single county in Oregon have made 21 arrests this month alone in zones under evacuation notice due to wildfires.

Suspects face charges including criminal trespass, burglary, possession of stolen property, felon in possession of a restricted weapon, and drug possession, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said.

The suspects were caught in evacuation Level 2 and 3 fire zones between Sept. 8 and Sept. 21.

Fifty-four criminal reports were taken in the zone, from 743 activity calls, including calls for traffic stops and suspicious vehicle stops.

In one case, a resident of Estacada called 911 just before 11 a.m. on Sept. 10 to report a maroon SUV with three passengers in his driveway.

The subjects fled the scene but deputies tracked the vehicle down. The driver said the group had been camping but there was no camping gear in the vehicle.

Deputies found the driver had a suspended license and one passenger had a warrant out for her arrest.

A search of the vehicle uncovered a backpack full of drug paraphernalia and methamphetamine as well as burglary tools.

The three suspects were arrested, including two for possessing heroin.

The next day, deputies responded to a report of two suspicious people possibly walking onto a property near Mulino and found they’d stolen two gas-powered generators, a box of hand tools, and at least one gas can.

The suspects were arrested and charged with theft and burglary.

Wildfires have consumed over one million acres in Oregon in recent months.

Clackamas County, which has more than 375,000 residents, borders Multnomah County, which includes Portland.

Almost 5,000 county residents are being kept from their homes because of ongoing fires, Clackamas County Commissioner Martha Schrader told reporters at a press conference on Monday.

...

.It makes you wonder if the thieves have an incentive to set fires to make it easier to get away with burglaries and other thefts.  Other reports indicate that virtually all of the fires were started by people and not by lightening strikes.