Utah man accused of C.O. arson faces Malheur Co. charges first
A Utah man accused of setting three small wildfires along Highway 97 south of Bend and near La Pine is being prosecuted first in Malheur County on car-theft charges before facing arson charges in Deschutes County.
Christopher Glen Wilson, 37, of Salt Lake City, has a plea hearing scheduled Dec. 1 on charges of possession of a stolen vehicle and unauthorized use of a vehicle, online court records show.
Wilson also was indicted Sept. 8 by a Deschutes County grand jury on three counts of first-degree arson and one count of recklessly endangering another person.
Court records show the indictment accuses Wilson of setting three fires on or about August 29; two along U.S. Highway 97, near Forest Service Road 9703 and Forest Service Spur Road 280, and one east of La Pine, near Forest Service Road 100. The largest burned about 2 square miles acres near La Pine.
Oregon State Police Troopers arrested Wilson Sept. 3 near the Idaho border after spotting him driving a rental car that had been reported stolen by the company.
He remains in the Malheur County Jail in Vale.
