Arson defendant in Wildflower Lodge case accepts plea offer

Isabella Crowley, The Observer, La Grande, Ore.
·1 min read

Nov. 10—LA GRANDE — A La Grande man arrested in June on charges of arson and reckless endangering at the Wildflower Lodge has accepted a plea deal from the Union County District Attorney's Office.

Teryn DeMoss, 20, pled guilty Tuesday, Nov. 8, to and was convicted on one count of felony arson. Union County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Powers sentenced him to 30 days in county jail with credit for time served. After his release, DeMoss will undergo 36 months of probation.

Emergency personnel responded on June 11 to a fire at Wildflower Lodge Assisted Living & Memory Care, 508 16th St., La Grande. The preliminary investigation revealed the fire began in room 42 and appeared to be intentionally set. The fire's origin was along the south wall, near a number of cardboard boxes filled with supplies.

Deputy State Fire Marshal Casey Kump and La Grande Fire Department Chief Emmitt Cornford informed police there had been two previous suspicious fires in the facility since the beginning of 2022. Law enforcement requested employee records and identified DeMoss — along with two other employees — as being listed as working on all three days.

While being interviewed, DeMoss ultimately confessed to police that he started the fire in room 42. He worked as the lodge's cook at the time and had been employed at the assisted living facility for more than a year.

DeMoss was arrested on

June 23. He was represented by La Grande attorney Jared Boyd and is now represented by Alexis Baello, of Cerritos, California. He will be back in court on Jan. 6, 2023, for a restitution hearing.

Isabella Crowley is a reporter for The Observer. Contact her at 541-624-6014 or icrowley@lagrandeobserver.com.