Vida man jailed for starting fire

Vida man arrested after starting a fire in his residence & fighting with police

VIDA: Oregon State Police (OSP) troopers on Sunday morning arrested a Vida man for numerous crimes after he intentionally started a fire in his residence. Troopers from the Springfield Area Command are continuing the investigation.

On July 28^th, at approximately 3:15 a.m., troopers Mike Pelkey and Josh Wilcott of the (OSP) Springfield Area Command responded to a 9-1-1 call from the residence of 45571 McKenzie Highway in the Vida area of Lane County. The reporting party advised 9-1-1 operators that one of the residents, Jessee Kelso, 19, of Vida, was out of control and started a fire in the bathroom. The residence was occupied by four other people at the time. One of the owners of the residence was able to extinguish the fire and in doing so received burns to her arms. The owner of the residence later received first aid from McKenzie Fire & Rescue.

When Pelkey and Wilcott arrived, they took Kelso into custody and placed him in the back seat of the patrol car. As the troopers were conducting their investigation Kelso started to kick the rear windows of the patrol vehicle. Trooper Pelkey opened the rear door to attempt to stop Kelso from injuring himself and causing damage to the patrol vehicle when Kelso forced his way out of the patrol car in an attempt to escape.

A struggle ensued and Kelso violently resisted arrest. Troopers attempted to control him with empty-hand custody techniques but were not successful.

The officers utilized a department issued Taser in hopes to gain compliance but it had no effect. They continued to struggle with Kelso and deployed a Taser a second time. It again had no effect.

The troopers were able to get Kelso on the ground where they held him until officers from the Springfield Police Department arrived to assist. Kelso was restrained and medically cleared. He suffered minor injuries during the incident.

Kelso was taken to the Lane County Jail where he was lodged on the following charges: First Degree Arson, Second Degree Escape, Resisting Arrest, Assaulting a Public Safety Officer, Reckless Burning, and Third Degree Assault.

During the struggle Trooper Pelkey broke his right hand and suffered bumps, scrapes and bruises. Trooper Pelkey was treated at Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend for his injuries. Trooper Wolcott suffered bumps, scrapes and bruises and was not treated for his injuries.

(OSP) was assisted at the scene by McKenzie Fire & Rescue and the Springfield Police Department.