Oregon inmate sets fire in jail because she was cold, police say

Credit: Jefferson County Sheriff's Office

Credit: Jefferson County Sheriff's Office

A county jail in Oregon was closed down for several hours Sunday after a female inmate allegedly started a fire in a holding cell because she said she was cold, The Bulletin of Bend reported.

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Chanelle Lee Jackson, 38, of Warm Springs, was charged with first-degree arson, first-degree criminal mischief and other counts after the fire was set in the Jefferson County Jail, the newspaper reported.

A sheriff's deputy put out the blaze with a fire extinguisher, The Bulletin reported.

“I’m cold,” Jackson allegedly told the deputy. “I don’t know, I just got cold. It was cold for a while.”

According to police, jail nurse Shawn Winsor examined Jackson after the fire and discovered a lighter, The Bulletin reported.

Jackson had been arrested Sunday for allegedly refusing to pay for items at a convenience store in Madras, including a hot dog she ate, two beers she drank and a pack of cigarettes she opened while in the store, The Bulletin reported.

The clerk locked the door to prevent Jackson from leaving the store, the newspaper reported.

Jackson was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on charges of theft, trespassing, resisting arrest and interfering with an officer. The total cost of the items she's alleged to have stolen was $14.76, according to The Bulletin.

Charges of arson, criminal mischief and reckless endangering were added to Jackson’s indictment, the newspaper reported. She appeared in Jefferson County Circuit Court, where her bond was set at $50,000.

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