Sheriff: Inmate Starts Fire in Cell

BEND, Ore. (AP) – Police say the Jefferson County jail was shut down for several hours Sunday evening after they say an inmate started a fire in a holding cell because she was cold.

The Bulletin reports 48-year-old Chanelle Jackson of Warm Springs has been charged with arson and criminal mischief.

A Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy says he saw a blanket on fire in Jackson’s cell and put it out with a fire extinguisher before firefighters arrived. The deputy says she told him she was cold. Police say a jail nurse examined Jackson after the fire and found a lighter.

There were no injuries.

Court records show Jackson was brought to jail Sunday afternoon after police say she was intoxicated and refused to pay for a hot dog, beer and a pack of cigarettes at a Madras convenience store.

She is not yet represented by an attorney.
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Information from: The Bulletin, http://www.bendbulletin.com