Man gets two years in prison for arson that sparked wildfire near Oakridge

A 36-year-old man was sentenced Tuesday, Nov. 3, to two years in prison after setting fire to his mother’s tent, sparking an 80-acre wildfire that damaged Sand Prairie Campground south of Oakridge.

Rodney Daniel Trotter IV pleaded guilty to second-degree arson in Lane County Circuit Court after negotiations with prosecutors.

Trotter had domestic violence charges dismissed that Deputy District Attorney Oscar Duyck told the court involved allegedly punching the victim in the face and putting her in a “rear naked choke.”

“After that occurred, the defendant set fire to her tent, which caused the fire that ended up spreading, causing significant damage to the forest,” Duyck said, adding that Trotter had no previous criminal history.

Trotter’s mother attended Tuesday’s hearing and asked Duyck to read a statement to the court, in which she described a mountain camping trip with her son that ended badly.

After “misjudging supplies” took a toll on both, “rational thinking had worn thin,” her statement said. She left to restock the campsite but had difficulty with travel. Upon her return, seeing a “small amount of smoke,” she said she thought her son “must have thought I abandoned him.”

“My son was wrong to burn my tent but he had no intent to burn the forest,” Duyck read aloud to the court.

Lane County Circuit Judge Debra Velure asked Trotter if he had gained any perspective on what took place.

“I knew it was wrong but did it anyway,” Trotter said.

“This is a community that’s been through wildfires, so when things like that happen, there’s consequences beyond just your world,” Velure said.

“I know,” Trotter said.

Defense attorney Eileen Pepple said Trotter, as part of the negotiations with prosecutors, had agreed to pay a “reasonable” restitution, with the amount as yet undetermined.

In addition to dismissal of the domestic violence charges, a misdemeanor reckless burning charge was dismissed. A Lane County grand jury indicted Trotter on a charge of first-degree arson, and he agreed to plead to what is considered a lesser included offense.

Trotter, who appeared in court in a jail uniform, may receive credit for time served. Pepple said “hopefully he’s out of [Department of Correction] custody a year from now” and can “move on and proceed with an independent existence.”