An Oregon man is accused of starting a fire inside a restroom and flooding the room Wednesday at a Salmon Creek building.
Jacob Daniel Ackerman, 28, of Hillsboro made a first appearance Thursday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of first-degree arson and first-degree malicious mischief.
Judge David Gregerson set Ackerman’s total bail at $65,000, which includes another case, court records show.
A Clark County sheriff’s deputy was called at about 7:10 p.m. to assist with a fire at 2101 N.E. 129th St., the Salmon Creek Executive Suites building, which houses Bright Now! Dental.
Someone called 911 to report that a man had locked himself inside a restroom and that the restroom was on fire, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
When the deputy arrived, he said he found the building was flooding and could hear a man screaming from a locked, single-stall restroom. The man inside, later identified as Ackerman, refused to unlock the door, the affidavit states.
Firefighters broke open the door, and smoke and water poured out of the bathroom. Ackerman was taken into custody, court records say.
Ackerman allegedly told the deputy he set his shirt and paper towels on fire to trigger the fire alarm. He also allegedly said he damaged a hose supplying the toilet to make it flood the restroom and broke the lights, the affidavit states.
According to Clark County Deputy Fire Marshal Jason Knoble, there were cleaning crews inside the building at the time.
The restroom reportedly sustained severe damage to the floor, lights, toilet and walls, the affidavit states. There was also some damage outside of the restroom in the building’s common area, Knoble said.
The Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office did not yet have an estimate on the damages.
