W*****B
发帖数: 4796 | 1 Teen who ignited massive fire may have to repay $37 million
HOOD RIVER, Ore. — A teenager who started a huge wildfire in the scenic
Columbia River Gorge in Oregon could owe more in restitution that he will
earn in a lifetime.
Eleven requests for restitution totaling almost $37 million have been
submitted to a court. That covers the costs of firefighting, repair and
restoration to the gorge and damage to homes.
At a hearing Thursday, the lawyer for the 15-year-old defendant urged Hood
River County Judge John Olson to impose a "reasonable and rational"
amount of restitution. The attorney, Jack Morris, said ordering a boy who is
indigent to pay $37 million is "absurd."
The judge said he has reviewed prior juvenile restitution cases in Oregon,
and the largest figure he could find was for $114,000. He said he needed
more time to review the case, and would issue a written ruling, The
Oregonian/OregonLive reported .
"It is an extraordinary amount of restitution being sought," Olson
said.
The teen from Vancouver, Washington, did not attend the hearing. He pleaded
guilty in February to reckless burning of public and private property and
other charges. Olson sentenced him to community service and probation, and
the boy had to write more than 150 letters of apology.
The teen said he threw one firework that exploded in the air along a trail
and a second one that had a longer fuse and ignited brush when it hit the
ground.
The flames spread quickly, forcing evacuations and the extended shutdown of
a major interstate highway. Beyond the temporary inconveniences, the fire
blackened the crown jewel of an outdoors-loving region for years to come.
The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area attracts more than 3 million
tourists a year and holds North America's largest concentration of
waterfalls. The fast-moving blaze ravaged popular hiking trails and marred
stunning vistas.
Anger at the boy was so intense that authorities withheld his name to
protect his safety. He's listed in court papers as A.B.
"I get to look at torched Angel's Rest every day. It will never be
the same," farmer Paul Smith said before Thursday's hearing,
referring to a bluff. "You can't financially quantify the damage he&
#39;s done."
The U.S. Forest Service is seeking $21 million in payments and the Oregon
Department of Transportation wants $12.5 million. The other requests for
restitution range from $4,563 to $1.6 million.
The restitution is solely the responsibility of the teen, not his parents,
who came to the U.S. from Ukraine.
State law allows the Oregon Department of Revenue to garnishee the teen'
s bank accounts or paychecks. If he's due refunds on his tax returns,
the state could take those. If he wins the lottery, the state also could
collect all of his winnings.
Hood River County District Attorney John Sewell said state law gives the
judge some leeway in restitution cases, such as halting payments after 10
years if the teen stays out of trouble or deciding not to garnish wages.
"It's not as draconian and absolutist as defense argues," Sewell
said.
———
Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com | a********r
发帖数: 4013 | 2 说不定背水一战被逼成一个self made billionaire呢 | Y***i
发帖数: 1932 | | k**o
发帖数: 15334 | 4 对啊，真看不起人，37M大概是0.5%人口，几率不低。莫欺少年穷。
【在 a********r 的大作中提到】
: 说不定背水一战被逼成一个self made billionaire呢
| j***g
发帖数: 11325 | 5 这是去年八月的事吧？我前几天坐飞机去PDX，降落的时候邻座跟我说下面的那块地是
被小孩放火烧的。 |
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