A man that was arrested multiple times and the subject of a restraining order has been accused of setting the huge apartment fire last week. Garrett Repp had also been recently evicted from the 113-year-old building that was completely gutted in the fire. Two firefighters were hurt and all residents of the building were displaced.
The May apartments in Southwest Portland on May 16 was set fire allegedlyby Repp who was facing eviction for nonpayment, according to court documents. Based on released information, he was arrested on the day of the fire before being released. Before that, Repp was arrested four times over the space of five months for criminal trespass, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. This was all during the eviction proceedings.
The timeline reads like an interesting documentary. First, court documents show that SkyNat Property Management, manager of The May, filed an eviction complaint against Repp on March 8. The company gave Repp a 72-hour notice of nonpayment before that.
Deputies were reported that they were unable to contact Repp in their first attempt to serve the eviction notice. The courts went ahead and granted a writ of execution to forcibly remove Repp on May 10. On May 15, the day before the May apartments fire, a judge granted a restraining order against Repp filed by his ex-girlfriend. The fire broke out May 16.
Criminal court documents show that Repp was arrested on the day of the fire and charged with first-degree criminal mischief. Repp, 30, was arrested last Thursday night and faces charges of first-degree arson, reckless endangering of another person and first-degree criminal mischief. His next appearance in court is set for June 6. He is being held without bail pending further court proceedings.
Angry words followed. “There’s a lot of people who let this happen, there’s a lot of people who assisted him through neglect, by default, and these people need to be held accountable,” said Gabriella Precious Kielhorn to media. She is a displaced resident due to the fire that made the buildingunsafe for all tenants.
