A 51-year-old man has been apprehended for setting fire to a Portland city councilor’s home in the Mill Park neighborhood last month, according to police.
Vashon M. Locust is charged with reckless burning and two counts of second-degree criminal mischief. According to police, Locust was observed leaving the scene of the fire at City Council Candace Avalos’ residence on October 26.
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According to authorities, on October 26, Locust entered a shed near Avalos’ residence on Southeast Caruthers Street to use an electrical outlet for a heater.
When the outlet failed, police say Locust started a fire, which spread and caused around $125-150,000 in damage to the home’s external paneling as well as “complete destruction” of the carport and two cars.
“We recognize that this incident has been deeply distressing for Councilor Avalos and her neighbors, and we want to express our sincere empathy for everything they have endured,” PPB Chief Bob Day and PF&R Chief Lauren Johnson said in a joint statement. “From the outset, our shared priority was to ensure safety, determine the cause and origin of the fire, and provide transparency to the community. We are grateful to the Portland Fire Investigations Unit – composed of PF&R sworn investigators and a detective from the Portland Police Bureau – that worked diligently and collaboratively to uncover the facts. Their thorough, methodical investigation ultimately determined that this was not a targeted act of violence. We appreciate the community’s patience and understanding as we worked to reach these findings.”
Councilor Avalos issued the following statement once the arrest was announced:
“After speaking with District Attorney Vasquez this afternoon and learning more about the arrest of Vashon Locust, I have a clearer understanding of what happened and the conditions that led to the fire at my home. I am still learning about Mr. Locust and don’t want to speak about him as an individual yet, but I do hope to connect with him when the time is right.”
“I want to thank the investigators for their careful work, and especially DA Vasquez for taking the time to outline what options exist to ensure Mr. Locust receives the help he needs.”
“When I asked for patience and cautioned against speculation last week, it was because we are living in a moment where deeply rooted, preconceived ideas about homelessness are being reinforced and weaponized against our most vulnerable neighbors. Across the country, we’re seeing the dehumanization of people experiencing homelessness pushed at the highest levels of power, used to justify cruelty instead of care. And that national climate inevitably shapes how we see and treat one another here at home.”
“This was an act that caused real harm and disruption to my life and others, and it’s important that we find a path forward that centers both healing and responsibility. But it’s also a reminder that far too many of our neighbors are living in crisis — people navigating untreated mental illness, addiction, and poverty in a system that’s failed to catch them before they fall. My hope is that we can hold space for both compassion and accountability and recommit to addressing the conditions that make tragedies like this possible in the first place.”
