PORTLAND, Ore. — An 18-year-old man charged with setting a fire at the Portland Police Bureau's North Precinct building during a June 26 protest pleaded guilty Thursday to first-degree arson.
This was the first felony protest-related case since the death of George Floyd to be resolved in court, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.
Rollin Tristan Fodor was sentenced to 45 days in jail, 160 hours of community service and 36 months of formal probation.
"This type of criminal behavior is not acceptable and we will prosecute these cases when the allegations are supported by evidence," said Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt. "Had this building caught fire, there would have been a significant risk of property damage or even physical injury to the police officers, fire fighters and other community members inside."
During the protest on June 26 outside the North Precinct, people lit a dumpster on fire next the Mid-K Beauty Supply Store on the northwest corner of the mixed-use building that includes the precinct and other private businesses.
The district attorney's office said Fodor can be seen on video putting an item on top of the dumpster fire.
Multnomah County District Attorney's Office Protest Policy
Schmidt has said that his office will prosecute violent crimes that occur at protests and mass demonstrations.
"Our policy states that we will presumptively decline to charge cases resulting from a protest or mass demonstration where the most serious offense is a city ordinance violation or a crime that does not involve property damage, theft, or the use or threat of force against another person," the district attorney's office said in a statement.
