Bend man and woman face arson, other charges; police say they set ex-roommate’s car ablaze as she slept inside
(Update: Tatom arraigned, woman booked into jail)
Woman escaped unhurt after car window smashed with baseball bat, flammable liquid poured on car
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Two Bend residents face first-degree arson and other charges, one accused of smashing an ex-roommate’s car window with a baseball bat while she was sleeping inside, pouring a flammable liquid on it and setting it ablaze, police said Thursday.
Officers responded shortly after 11 p.m. last Sunday to the reported vehicle fire in the area of SE Fourth Street and Roosevelt Avenue, Bend Police Communications Manager Sheila Miller said.
They arrived to find a black Toyota Yaris with the passenger compartment and trunk area engulfed in flames, Miller said. Officers put out the fire, with assistance from Bend Fire & Rescue.
An investigation determined that Nathaniel Ryan Tatom, 37, and a 44-year-old Bend woman had shown up at the car late that night to confront its owner, Tatom’s female former roommate, Miller said.
The owner, who was sleeping in the car at the time, said the woman smashed the driver’s-side window of the car with a baseball bat before pouring a clear flammable liquid on the car.
“The car ignited in flames while the victim was inside, but the victim escaped with no injuries,” Miller said. The man and woman then fled the scene.
Bend Fire investigators determined the fire was human-caused and not the result of any mechanical failure, according to Miller.
On Wednesday, officers served a search warrant at Tatom’s home and vehicle in the 2600 block of NE Forum Drive, and the man and woman were taken into custody.
Tatom was booked into the Deschutes County Jail on initial charges of first-degree arson, first-degree criminal mischief, coercion and menacing.
The woman, who had two outstanding warrants, reported she had ingested drugs, so she was taken to St. Charles Bend, Miller said.
The woman walked out of the hospital around 5:40 a.m. Thursday, and officers found her in the of NE Watt Way and Mary Rose Place. Miller said she was returned to the hospital and was taken to jail on the same charges, once cleared for release.
Court records show Tatom was arraigned Thursday afternoon on seven formal charges: first-degree arson, criminal conspiracy, unlawful use of a weapon, coercion, first-degree criminal mischief, menacing and recklessly endangering another person.
An August 1 arraignment was set for an expected formal indictment. Jail records show Tatom is being held on $100,000 bail.
The woman, who was released from the hospital and booked into the jail Thursday afternoon, was held on $110,000 bail, including the two out-of-county warrants. She has not yet been formally charged, court records show. NewsChannel 21's policy is not to name arrested individuals until and unless formal charges are filed.
