Portland police announced Thursday they’d made an arrest in the four-alarm fire that tore through the May Apartments last week and that arson was the cause of the blaze at Southwest 14th Avenue and Taylor Street.
Police arrested 30-year-old Garrett Repp on allegations of felony arson, criminal mischief and misdemeanor reckless endangerment in the fire that displaced residents of all 42 units. He was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center around 7 p.m.
Fire investigators entered the structurally unsound building on Tuesday to investigate the cause of the fire. They called the investigation a “success” but disclosed no results until Thursday.
Repp’s ex-girlfriend told The Oregonian/OregonLive he had lived in the May Apartments since November. The landlord, SkyNat Property Management, initiated an eviction order against Repp in February saying he owed $3,180 in rent and late fees, court records show.
On March 23, Repp didn’t appear in court and he was to be evicted March 31.
On April 17, the Multnomah County Circuit Court Landlord Tenant Department ordered Repp to move out by midnight on April 23. An amended order was filed May 1, ordering him to move out by midnight May 7. A third order was issued May 3, ordering him to move out by midnight May 8.
The fire broke out May 16.
— Beth Slovic; bslovic@oregonian.com; 503-221-8551
Catalina Gaitán of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed reporting.
Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe
Ad Choices