Video: Crime in Salem for 2021
Crime in Salem for 2021
Virginia Barreda, Wochit
A man was sentenced to three years of supervised probation, and ordered to undergo substance use and mental health treatment, after setting fire and causing significant damage to a food pantry in Woodburn last summer.
Manuel Garcia-Martinez contended he was under the influence of drugs; investigators said he threw a lighted cigarette into a bush next to the AWARE Food Bank and fanned the flames as the fire burned. The food pantry, part of the Marion Polk Food Share, collects and distributes food for children and adults in the Woodburn community.
Garcia-Martinez, 24, pleaded guilty to first-degree arson on May 2, court records show. Prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed that Garcia-Martinez will serve a three year-supervised probation so long as he is able to complete a substance use and mental health treatment program through the BestCare Treatment Services.
Garcia-Martinez was ordered to complete the 90-day treatment through BestCare Latino Services’s residential program in Madras. The facility is the only Latino residential program in Oregon for men, and according to its website, is ideal for those who need help and structure to overcome the “compulsive lifestyle in the use of alcohol and drugs.”
On Aug. 18, crews from multiple fire districts were called to the food bank at 152 Arthur Street, according to Woodburn Fire District Fire Marshal James Gibbs.
The building was unoccupied at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.
The flames ignited in the southwest corner of the historic building causing extensive damage to the second-story attic, and roof, Gibbs said.
Woodburn Fire Chief Joe Budge estimated that 20% of the building was damaged.
The area that was burned served as a storage site for canned goods and dry foods, which were kept on wooden pallets, Budge said. Up to five pallets with food were damaged. The food bank continued offering services temporarily from a building on Harrison Street.
Budge said the first two firefighters on the scene were student resident volunteers from the fire science program at Chemeketa Community College.
Investigators detained and later arrested Garcia-Martinez a short distance from the fire, according to the Woodburn Police Department.
Marion Polk Food Share President and CEO Rick Gaupo said the AWARE Food Bank distributed 1.3 million pounds of food to Woodburn community members in the 2020 budget year which ending in June; that’s about 10% of all Food Share distributions.
Most recently, the pantry relocated to the Hoodview Church of God at 1530 Mt Hood Avenue in Woodburn. AWARE will resume its regular hours at its new location starting May 26, the food bank announced last week.
Marion Polk Food Share Communications Manager Sam Tenney said AWARE will demolish its original building on Arthur Street and eventually rebuild a new site in its place. The church will be used over the new few years until the building is completed, Tenny said.
During Garcia-Martinez’s sentencing, Judge Channing Bennett said the drug treatment program and counseling can be successful if one is willing to do the work.
“The last three people that I allowed to go to these programs all walked away and now have all been caught and gone back to prison,” Bennett said. “So very simply, we’d all like you to succeed but at the end of the day, it’s all up to you. You have to choose that for yourself.”
Through a court-appointed translator, Garcia-Martinez replied: “I thank everyone for the opportunity. I will take full advantage of it because I want to live life to its fullest extent.”
AWARE Food Bank
Address:
Hoodview Church of God
1530 Mt Hood Avenue in Woodburn
Hours:
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday – 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- First and third Tuesdays of the month – 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
How to help: AWARE is looking for volunteers. For more information, contact [email protected]. Visit marionpolkfoodshare.org/programs/emergency-food/awarefoodbank/ to learn more about the pantry.
Virginia Barreda is the breaking news and public safety reporter for the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at 503-399-6657 or at [email protected] Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2.
