UPDATE: The case against Brandon Alexander Emery was dismissed June 26, 2019, without prejudice, meaning it could be refiled at a later date, for further investigation, according to court records.
A 23-year-old man appeared Thursday in Clark County Superior Court to face an allegation of second-degree arson — a day after Clark County Fire & Rescue responded to a fire at a residential construction project in Ridgefield and spotted him allegedly video recording the blaze.
Brandon Alexander Emery fidgeted and whispered to his court-appointed attorney before Judge Bernard Veljacic set his bail at $50,000.
Fire crews were dispatched about 12:10 a.m. Wednesday to 237 N. 33rd Court for a report of a structure fire. The first crew arrived at the scene within six minutes and discovered a condominium construction project with one of the units engulfed in flames, Chief John Nohr said.
The structure was among one of four homes placed side by side. The condo that caught fire was sandwiched between two others, but the neighboring units suffered only minor damage due to fire-resistant board between the units. The unit where the fire started was destroyed.
Deputy Prosecutor Julie Carmena said first responders spotted Emery near the fire, filming it.
“(Emery) had a yellow vest and a lanyard indicating MEDIA. … I tried to maintain watch on Emery while dealing with other fire issues. Emery appeared to be entranced by the fire activity,” a probable cause affidavit reads.
Emery claimed he learned about the fire on a scanner app and followed a response vehicle to the scene from the freeway, according to the prosecutor, who was reading from the probable cause affidavit.
But the emergency vehicle didn’t respond from the freeway, Carmena said.
The young man later changed his story, stating he did not follow the vehicle. Officers concluded that his second route to the fire was not physically possible, a finding Emery contested at the end of his hearing.
“My dad has video of me at Plaid Pantry from a dash cam,” Emery told the judge, before being ushered out of the courtroom.
Emery has a prior fire-related conviction. In 2014, he pleaded guilty to second-degree reckless burning and was sentenced to a couple of weeks in jail, of which 10 days he served on a work crew, and two years of probation. He originally faced a charge of second-degree arson in the case. He was 19 at the time.
Emery set fire to a pasture across from York Elementary School in Orchards, according to a probable cause affidavit.
When he was questioned by police this week, Emery “indicated he hasn’t been burning, but burnt items were found in his car,” Carmena said.
