Bend transient camp resident jailed on reckless burning charge; police say tossed cigarette butts sparked fire
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A resident of a transient camp on Bend’s north end was arrested and jailed on a reckless burning charge Sunday evening, accused of tossing cigarette butts on the ground and sparking a fire that damaged a fence and landscaping, police said.
Officers responded around 6:40 p.m. Sunday to a report of a fire at a transient camp on Nels Anderson Road, Bend Police Communications Manager Sheila Miller said.
Officers arrived and found David Carroll Hickman, 61, smoking a cigarette near a fire that was visible from the street and burning a fence along the property and nearby landscaping, she said.
Several cigarette butts were found in the area of the fire, near Hickman’s belongings along the fence line, Miller said. A witness reported seeing him smoking near where the fire began and confronting him about throwing cigarette butts on the ground in hot, dry weather.
Hickman was arrested and booked into the Deschutes County Jail on the reckless burning charge, a Class A misdemeanor.
Court records show he also had an active warrant for failing to appear in court last month on a misdemeanor second-degree theft charge. He’s accused of stealing a Bi-Mart shopping cart on May 10.
"Local law enforcement agencies and fire departments have responded to several fires in the area over the past week that are preventable and could have heavily damaged our community," Miller said in a news release.
"This is a reminder that everyone has to be responsible to keep Bend safe from fire," she added. "Debris burning is not allowed at any time in the city of Bend, and cigarettes or any other burning material should be disposed of safely."
