US
Eagle Creek Wildfire in Columbia River Gorge, Oregon -- ShutterStock - Christian Roberts-Olsen | Teen Ordered To Pay $37 Million For Fire   Eagle Creek Wildfire in Columbia River Gorge, Oregon — ShutterStock – Christian Roberts-Olsen | Teen Ordered To Pay $37 Million For Fire

Teenager Ordered To Pay Nearly $37 Million For Oregon Wildfire

Photo of Nick Givas

Nick Givas
Media And Politics Reporter
2:28 PM 05/22/2018

An Oregon judge ordered a teenager to pay $36,618,330 in restitution Monday for the damage he caused after starting a wildfire near the Columbia River Gorge back in 2017. The unnamed teen threw fireworks into Eagle Creek Canyon, causing an inferno to spread across the forest.

County Circuit Judge John A. Olson recognized the teen wouldn’t be able to pay the full amount, so he ordered the local juvenile department to develop a payment plan for him, according to The Oregonian. The money will go toward Eagle Creek fire victims along with the U.S. Forest Service and Oregon Department of Transportation. (RELATED: Mother Stabs Daughter And Sets House On Fire)

The teen would have to pay a little over $100,000 a month for the next 30 years to pay back the balance. But despite the ruling, the teen may not be on the hook for the total amount.

Olson cited “safety valves” in the state laws allowing a juvenile to stop payments after 10 years, if they have finished their probation and exhibited good behavior, The Oregonian reported.

Jack Morris, the teen’s lawyer, called the judgement “absurd” and “absolutely silly.” He asked the judge to deliver a more “reasonable and rational” ruling with a more manageable dollar figure.

“Having reviewed the arguments presented by the parties, the court is persuaded that an award of more than $36 million in restitution does not violate either the state or federal constitution,” Olson wrote in his opinion.
The Oregonian obtained a document showing the breakdown of how much the teen owes to each victim:
– Iris Schenk, whose Warrendale house burned down: $5,000
– Allstate Insurance: $8,111.44
– Oregon State Parks: $31,550.90
– Heuker Properties: $100,000
– Trails Club of Oregon: $168,000
– Union Pacific Railroad: $1,048,877.52
– Oregon State Fire Marshal: $1,643,035.38
– Oregon Department of Transportation: $12.5 million
– U.S. Forest Service: $21,113,755
The court did not award restitution to Amanda Rosenkoetter and Anne Coxen, who requested $4,563.72 and $8,793.14 respectively.
— Source: Court records

“It’s difficult to imagine anything more pointless than ordering an adolescent to pay 36 million in restitution,” Morris told The Oregonian.

The teen received five years probation back in February, along with nearly 2,000 hours of community service with the federal forest service, The Oregonian reported. He also had to write letters of apology to 152 people who were trapped on Eagle Creek trail as a result of the wildfire.

The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to The Hood River County Juvenile Department for comment on the ruling and the teen’s payment plan but did not receive a response.

You can Follow Nick on Twitter and Facebook

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.