Suspected arsonist captured and tied to tree by locals

[RadishRose]

On Monday a Bureau of Land Management employee reported that a man was walking down a road igniting vegetation fires in a remote area about 25 miles northwest of Grants Pass, Oregon.

Ground crews, assisted by local residents, and three helicopters quickly got the two fires under control, Curry County Sheriff John Ward said.
Meanwhile, three local residents located the suspect walking on the road near the fires and detained him.
“It was reported that the suspect became very combative with the three residents and had to be tied to a tree to subdue him.,” Ward said in a statement. “An ambulance crew was asked to respond due to some injuries that the suspect apparently received from falling down.”

Smith was transported to Three Rivers Hospital in Grants Pass and once he was medically cleared, transported by US Forest Service law enforcement to the Curry County Jail and held on Reckless Burning and two counts of First-Degree Arson. There was also a Detention Warrant in effect out of Lane County for probation violation.

https://wildfiretoday.com/2022/07/27/suspected-arsonist-captured-and-tied-to-tree-by-locals/

 

[Bellbird]

Tied to a tree isn't a harsh enough punishment, still in this PC world its a wonder they don't get arrested.

 

[hollydolly]

This is such a serious crime.. arson which can and does lose lives, homes, and businesses.... should carry a mandatory sentence equivalent to attempted murder...

 

[Nathan]

This is such a serious crime.. arson which can and does lose lives, homes, and businesses.... should carry a mandatory sentence equivalent to attempted murder...

Exactly. Arson is no joke and treated as the serious crime that it is. The arsonist that started a huge fire locally in 2003 received the Death Penalty.

 

[win231]

Sometimes, the arsonist is a complete surprise (like a Fire Captain/Arson Investigator) He killed 4.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Leonard_Orr#:~:text=On June 25, 1998, a,fire in the Warner Bros.

 

[hollydolly]

Exactly. Arson is no joke and treated as the serious crime that it is. The arsonist that started a huge fire locally in 2003 received the Death Penalty.

..and rightly so.. because he was responsible for the deaths of 5 people.....it makes me furious that people tend to get a slap on the wrist by the courts unless someone has actually been killed

 

[Nathan]

.....it makes me furious that people tend to get a slap on the wrist by the courts unless someone has actually been killed

I take it you mean in the UK? Here in drought and fire plagued California arson is taken seriously.

 

[hollydolly]

I take it you mean in the UK? Here in drought and fire plagued California arson is taken seriously.

yes here in the UK...

 

[Tish]

What a disgusting piece of crap!

 

[Gaer]

"injuries that the suspect apparently received from falling down"
o,k,
Good for the local residents!

 

[chic]

It says something positive that people are starting to fight back on their own.

 

[Remy]

Filthy POS!!!!! He should never live free again. Fires cost loss of life, wildlife, homes, resources. Fire causes me so much anxiety, stress and worry. How can someone do this?

 

[Don M.]

It says something positive that people are starting to fight back on their own.

With an increasing number of police departments losing staff, and funding, and police increasingly reluctant to respond, in the past couple of years, individuals are going to have to do more to protect themselves.

 

[ohioboy]

Tied to a tree isn't a harsh enough punishment, still in this PC world its a wonder they don't get arrested.

It was a proper restraint of liberty as long as the rope tightness was not endandering, such as clamping his heart, etc.

 

[fuzzybuddy]

Ya gotta love the reporting. The arsonist is jumped, and "resists", then tied to a tree. "“An ambulance crew was asked to respond due to some injuries that the suspect apparently received from falling down.” Yeah, he probably fell down three or four times
Since the restraint was to prevent a catastrophe, I doubt there will be any charges.

 

[RadishRose]

Tied to a tree isn't a harsh enough punishment, still in this PC world its a wonder they don't get arrested.

He was .
transported by US Forest Service law enforcement to the Curry County Jail and held on Reckless Burning and two counts of First-Degree Arson. There was also a Detention Warrant in effect out of Lane County for probation violation.

 

[Chet]

He should have been tied to a tree in the middle of the fire he started.

 

[feywon]

It says something positive that people are starting to fight back on their own.

It also says something that they stopped short of more serious bodily harm and detained him. He likely became combative because he knew there was a warrant out for him and the police would discover it once in their custody. When in high adrenaline states people often can be harder to subdue, control even by those with training. I know personally of a case where it took 5 police officers to control a 5'2",110lb woman with mental health issues.

 

[Paco Dennis]

Vigilante justice can become extremely dangerous. It is often illegal, and sometimes it leads to criminal charges fr the vigilante. Shooting a criminal, or restraining them seems to be an act of bravery and heroism, but when amateurs start arresting other citizens we are in for big trouble. It will become the wild wild west....remember all the unjust hangings in our past. IMHO

 

[Remy]

Vigilante justice can become extremely dangerous. It is often illegal, and sometimes it leads to criminal charges fr the vigilante. Shooting a criminal, or restraining them seems to be an act of bravery and heroism, but when amateurs start arresting other citizens we are in for big trouble. It will become the wild wild west....remember all the unjust hangings in our past. IMHO

I agree with your words on vigilante justice. In this case though, I think the resident's were warranted. Oregon has experienced fires they never did in the past. I think a lot of people are on edge due to that, the heat and drought. In this case the resident's did the right thing. These fires were putting people in possible imminent danger.

But you are right, it has been and can be abused.

 

[feywon]

Vigilante justice can become extremely dangerous. It is often illegal, and sometimes it leads to criminal charges fr the vigilante. Shooting a criminal, or restraining them seems to be an act of bravery and heroism, but when amateurs start arresting other citizens we are in for big trouble. It will become the wild wild west....remember all the unjust hangings in our past. IMHO

True, and the larger the group more likely it is to get way out of hand -- unless someone is voice of reason soon enough to stop a group from becoming a mob.

In this case, as @Remy noted, there was imminent danger to lives and they clearly saw detaining him for the authorities more important than 'punishing' him themselves. That there were 3 of them fortuitous-- enough to tie him up, but less than the usual mob.

 

[Packerjohn]

Maybe those old cowboys had it right in the 1870s when they caught a guy like this, they just threw a rope over a strong tree branch and strung him up. Problem was solved.

Today, in Canada we mostly treat our criminals as "poor misunderstood citizens" and often they get away with a slight slap from the justice system.

 

[jimintoronto]

Maybe those old cowboys had it right in the 1870s when they caught a guy like this, they just threw a rope over a strong tree branch and strung him up. Problem was solved.

Today, in Canada we mostly treat our criminals as "poor misunderstood citizens" and often they get away with a slight slap from the justice system.

John I am waiting for the time where you write a post that is upbeat or positive. Your whole thing seems to be writing angry and abusive sentences on every subject. You need to ask yourself why you are so angry about everything ? JimB.

 

[win231]

John I am waiting for the time where you write a post that is upbeat or positive. Your whole thing seems to be writing angry and abusive sentences on every subject. You need to ask yourself why you are so angry about everything ? JimB.

You need to ask yourself why you are bothered by a normal reaction to injustice.

 

[jimintoronto]

You need to ask yourself why you are bothered by a normal reaction to injustice.

Thanks for proving my point.