searcher451
Member
For what it's worth, the 9/12/07 edition of the Statesman Journal in Salem, Oregon, reported the following:
"A Salem man is accused of shooting tracer-type rounds from a high-powered rifle that started a Polk County wildfire, a blaze that burned 425 acres of private and public land.
"Eric Larkins, 40, of Salem was arrested about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday after he turned himself in at patrol headquarters, Polk County sheriff's spokesman Lt. Jeff Van Laanen said.
"The fire, known as the 1500 Road Fire, was reported about noon Saturday near Bald Mountain, five miles southwest of Falls City. About 425 acres of land protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry have burned.
"Larkin faces criminal charges of second-degree mischief and reckless burning, a class A misdemeanor.
"Deputy Brian Dunkin said that Larkins was target shooting in a rural area close to where the fire began Saturday. ... Larkins was with three to five other friends, shooting a military-style .50 caliber sniper rifle, when three shots were fired into a tree stump. The bullets were described as armor-piercing, incendiary, tracer-type rounds.
"When the group saw smoke from the stump, they tried to extinguish the fire, but it grew out of control. They fled and called 911 but did not claim responsibility."
There's more. You can check it out at:
www.statesmanjournal.com
"A Salem man is accused of shooting tracer-type rounds from a high-powered rifle that started a Polk County wildfire, a blaze that burned 425 acres of private and public land.
"Eric Larkins, 40, of Salem was arrested about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday after he turned himself in at patrol headquarters, Polk County sheriff's spokesman Lt. Jeff Van Laanen said.
"The fire, known as the 1500 Road Fire, was reported about noon Saturday near Bald Mountain, five miles southwest of Falls City. About 425 acres of land protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry have burned.
"Larkin faces criminal charges of second-degree mischief and reckless burning, a class A misdemeanor.
"Deputy Brian Dunkin said that Larkins was target shooting in a rural area close to where the fire began Saturday. ... Larkins was with three to five other friends, shooting a military-style .50 caliber sniper rifle, when three shots were fired into a tree stump. The bullets were described as armor-piercing, incendiary, tracer-type rounds.
"When the group saw smoke from the stump, they tried to extinguish the fire, but it grew out of control. They fled and called 911 but did not claim responsibility."
There's more. You can check it out at:
www.statesmanjournal.com
