Arson suspect jailed after mental evaluation
Published 4:00 am Friday, February 19, 2010
A man arrested earlier this week in connection with a fire that caused about $500,000 in damage to an Oregon Department of Transportation office in north Bend was lodged in the Deschutes County jail Thursday following a mental health evaluation.
Preston Jacob Berman, 20, was taken into custody Monday evening following an investigation into the fire, which was spotted around 11 a.m. Monday. Police transported Berman to St. Charles Bend for an evaluation. He was discharged around 2 p.m. Thursday and arrested by police, who lodged him in jail on suspicion of 20 counts of first-degree arson and one count of second-degree burglary. Both crimes are felonies.
Bend Police Lt. Ben Gregory said each of the counts of arson are for a separate ignition point that sparked the fire.
Berman’s bail was set at just over $2 million.