"Portland Police have arrested a suspect who they say started a fire in the Mill Park neighborhood that displaced City Councilor Candace Avalos from her home. According to police, Vashon M. Locust, 51, was trying to use an electrical outlet in a shed near Avalos' house to plug in a heater around 2:40 am Sunday, October 26. The outlet didn't work, so he reportedly lit a small fire, which spread. The fire destroyed Avalos' vehicle, carport, and part of her home."
""Over the past few days I've been trying to wrap my head around losing my car, having my home burned, and watching my neighbors go through the same nightmare," Avalos wrote Friday in a column she publishes on the city's website. "It's gutting. It's disorienting. Every time I try to describe it, words feel too small. I'm grateful to everyone who's reached out, checked in, or sent love.""
"Last week, police circulated a video clip captured by a security camera showing a man walking near the property around the time of the fire, asking for the public's help in identifying the man so police could question him. On Tuesday, November 4, PPB East Precinct officers arrested Locust after interviewing him about the incident. Locust was booked into Multnomah County Jail on charges of reckless burning and criminal mischief."
Portland Police arrested Vashon M. Locust, 51, after a shed fire in Mill Park displaced City Councilor Candace Avalos. Authorities say Locust tried to use an electrical outlet near Avalos' house to plug in a heater around 2:40 a.m.; when the outlet didn't work he reportedly lit a small fire that spread. The blaze destroyed Avalos' vehicle, carport and part of her home. Investigators found no sign of accelerant or incendiary device and concluded the fire likely was not meant to target Avalos. Officers arrested Locust on November 4 and booked him on reckless burning and criminal mischief. Avalos described the losses as gutting and disorienting and thanked community members for support.
Read at Portland Mercury
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