PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Salem man was arrested after police said he started a fire before assaulting and attempting to rob an employee at a nearby store.
Just after 10:15 a.m. on Monday, police said a fire was reported near Khartoum Street SE and witnesses said that Ethan Thorington, 26, was seen leaving the home shortly before it started.
Salem Fire responded to the scene, which was eventually upgraded to a second alarm.
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Just over an hour later, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office sergeant called for assistance at a business on Commercial Street SE, where a man, later identified as Thorington, had attempted to steal an employee’s car keys and assaulted her before fleeing the scene…