One of two men accused of starting the Fourth of July fire on Pilot Butte by using an illegal mortar-style firework plans to fight the charges.

Brandon Joel Hastings, 38, appeared in Deschutes County Circuit Court by video link from the jail on Thursday to plead not guilty to the three charges: reckless burning, possession of illegal fireworks and second-degree criminal mischief.

His trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 12 and last two days.

Hastings has been in custody since his arrest July 4, but it’s not because of the severity of his charges; the arrest represented a violation of his parole from prison.

Hastings has a number of convictions, including a 2003 mail theft case in Washington, a 2014 aggravated identity theft case in Deschutes County and a 2013 strangulation case in which his girlfriend was the victim.

Also Thursday, Judge Ray Crutchley approved a motion by Hastings’ lawyer to reduce the security he has to pay to jail custody to $7,500.

Hastings has a co-defendant in the fireworks case, Alan Joseph Stout, who’s referred to in court documents by his nickname, “Pork Chop.”

Stout is scheduled to enter his plea Aug. 8. He’s listed as an inmate of the Deschutes County jail.

The Pilot Butte fire broke out in the early evening as the city was choked with Fourth of July revelers.

The Bend Fire Department had warned the public earlier that day about a high fire danger because of dry conditions and extremely high winds.

The blaze scarred approximately 10 acres near the base of the butte and knocked out power to nearly 3 in 4 Bend residents. It forced the evacuation of a large nearby apartment complex and the closure of U.S. Highway 20 for several hours.

Hastings was arrested that night outside the Redmond McDonald’s. Stout was arrested in Bend the next day.

The case against them began when Bend Police public information officer Lt. Clint Burleigh learned that journalists with a local television station had interviewed a man claiming to have witnessed the incident. The state’s case will likely rely on several other alleged witnesses quoted in a search warrant request filed by Bend Police July 17.

One of the witnesses said he was at a barbecue with friends when he heard a loud bang at nearby Pilot Butte State Park then saw a group of three or four people running back to a Jeep Cherokee and a white sedan, according to the search warrant request.

He recognized one of them as a man called “Pork Chop,” who drives the sedan.

Another witness reported hearing several men “scream in excitement,” then turning and seeing them flee.

That man saw the firework shoot into the air, according to police.

“The firework appeared to go higher than the butte, and he saw the sparks fall toward the ground/vegetation,” Burleigh wrote.

The witness described the men he saw light the firework as being in their 30s with short hair, wearing white oversized shirts and cargo shorts, “USA paraphernalia” and sunglasses.

Another witness snapped photos of the vehicles involved, which she provided to police.

A judge approved the search warrant request, which sought to look for evidence on the cell phones of Hastings and Stout.

— Reporter: 541-383-0325, gandrews@bendbulletin.com