LANE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES ARREST ARSON SUSPECT

Lane Co. Sheriff's Office

On 08/17/2023 just after 5:00pm a Lane County Sheriff’s Deputy noticed a column of smoke coming from the wooded area behind the Ray’s Food Place store on Territorial Hwy. in Veneta. 

Additional deputies responded to the area and discovered that a fire had been started and was rapidly growing.  Multiple firefighting resources responded, including a helicopter, to fight the fire.  The fire was controlled and eventually extinguished.   

Investigation revealed that 69-year-old Christopher James Barnstable intentionally set the fire.  Barnstable was taken into custody on the charge of Arson in the First Degree.