Arson defendant in Wildflower Lodge case released on bail

Published 5:00 pm Thursday, June 30, 2022

LA GRANDE — The La Grande man arrested on charges of arson and reckless endangering at the Wildflower Lodge is now out of jail.

Teryn DeMoss, 20, was taken into custody on Thursday, June 23, and lodged into the Union County Jail without incident, according to a press release from the La Grande Police Department. DeMoss worked as the lodge’s cook and had been employed at the assisted living facility for over a year.

“Demoss ultimately confessed and told me he started the fire in room 42. I asked DeMoss to tell me how he started the fire and he told me he lit a cardboard box located against the south wall of the room on fire with his lighter (consistent with physical evidence showing fire origin),” wrote officer Cody Kirby in the probable cause declaration.

Bail was set at $25,000 and DeMoss posted his security release of $2,500 on June 25, according to court documents. The conditions of his release includes not entering the Wildflower Lodge property and not having any contact with representatives or employees of the facility.

In the declaration, Kirby stated he was informed by Deputy State Fire Marshal Casey Kump and La Grande Fire Department Chief Emmitt Cornford that there had been three suspicious fires in the facility since the beginning of 2022 — one in a bathroom, one in a laundry room and the latest fire in room 42.

Kirby requested employee records and identified DeMoss — along with two other employees — who were listed as working on all three days.

In an interview with police, a lodge employee told the police about additional suspicious activities related to the facility’s circuit breakers. The circuit breaker in the kitchen office and the maintenance room had been intentionally flipped on numerous occasions. The employee noticed that the flipped breakers in the maintenance room were predominantly associated with fire control, response and suppression systems. Additionally, the breaks flipped in the kitchen office were for outlets, lights and fire doors in the memory care portion of the facility.

While being interviewed, DeMoss also admitted to being charged with arson as a juvenile. He did not confess to setting the other two fires.

DeMoss is represented by Jared Boyd, of La Grande.

The hearing plea has been scheduled for Aug. 30 in the Union County Circuit Court.