On March 23, a fire was reported at an unoccupied dwelling located on State Highway 101, in Coos County. The property consisted of two separate structures that were adjacent to one another. Fire agencies from North Bay Fire District, Hauser Rural Fire Department and North Bend Fire Department responded to combat the blaze.
After the fire was extinguished, it was discovered there were several suspicious factors proceeding the fire. The Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal, the Southwestern Fire Investigation Team(SFIT) and the Oregon State Police Arson Unit were notified. Following an investigation into the origin and cause of the fire it was determined to be incendiary and intentionally set.
The Oregon State Police Arson Unit conducted an investigation with the assistance of the Coos County Sheriff’s Office and were able to discover that 26-year-old Andrew Eastep and his girlfriend 22-year-old Breanna Schuster were possibly responsible for setting the fire. After they were contacted and interviewed, they both admitted to stealing several items from the residence and property days before setting it on fire.
Both Eastep and Schuster were taken into custody on charges of Burglary in the First Degree, Arson in the First Degree and Criminal Mischief in the First Degree. A large amount of stolen property was recovered and returned to the owners. Additional charges are under review by the Coos County District Attorney’s Office.
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