An arrest warrant has been issued for a man who failed to appear in Wasco County Circuit Court on Monday to face arson and reckless burning charges, accused of igniting the more than 18,000-acre Larch Creek Fire while squatting on private property in July.
A grand jury indicted Christopher Mennealy, 51, on Sept. 4 on charges of second-degree arson, a Class C felony, and reckless burning, a Class A misdemeanor, for starting a fire while squatting on another man’s property near the town of Friend, District Attorney Matthew Ellis said. The reckless burning charge accuses him of damaging several owners’ properties by starting the fire, according to the indictment.