Man faces second arson charge in 6 months in Vancouver bail bonds case

A transient man is facing his second allegation of arson in six months after police say they found him trying to set a downtown Vancouver bail bonds building on fire early Monday morning.

Tyler J. Autry, 28, appeared Tuesday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of first-degree arson. His bail was set at $100,000, and he is scheduled for a hearing today to enter an order for a competency evaluation. Court records in a previous case indicate Autry has known mental health problems.

Autry pleaded guilty Jan. 12 to first-degree reckless burning and was sentenced to 60 days in jail, court records show. He was originally charged with second-degree arson after police said he set a school bus on fire behind a car dealership in central Vancouver in October.

Vancouver police responded at 12:11 a.m. Monday to A Plus Bail Bonds at 701 W. 11th St., for reports of a man trying to set the building on fire. An officer arrived to find a dumpster ablaze against the side of the building, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The officer wrote in the affidavit that he also saw Autry trying to light a piece of paper on fire while holding it against the building.

Autry dropped the paper when he saw the officer and later said he was doing a science project, court records state. He ran away, and the officer gave chase before tackling Autry in a yard on Evergreen Boulevard.

When the officer told Autry he was under arrest for arson, the affidavit states that Autry allegedly said, “I should have shot and killed you.”