Allen Lee Bicknell, 51, was arrested June 19 after he barricaded himself briefly in a house in the Prospect area, authorities said. (Jackson County Sheriff’s Office photo)

A Prospect man has been arrested by Jackson County sheriff’s deputies, accused of intentionally starting a fire near Red Blanket Road last week east of Prospect.

Allen Lee Bicknell, 51, listed as a transient, was charged with first-degree arson and reckless burning and accused of starting a fire around 1:57 p.m. Wednesday, June 18. 

The Oregon Department of Forestry responded to the fire on Red Blanket Road, and a firefighter observed Bicknell acting in a suspicious manner and fleeing on foot during the firefighters’ initial attack on the flames, according to a Tuesday news release from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. 

The observation was reported to the sheriff’s office to continue investigating, and the 2-acre Red Blanket Road Fire was knocked down and mopped up the same day. 

“ODF is appreciative of the efforts of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office to apprehend a suspect believed to have intentionally set a fire,” said Natalie Weber, spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Forestry. “While arson is an extremely rare fire cause that we see and investigate as Oregon’s wildfire response agency, it’s incredibly important to ODF that these individuals are brought to justice and that as an agency, information sharing is as transparent as possible to the communities we serve.”

Deputies with the sheriff’s office arrested Bicknell Thursday, June 19, in the 44000 block of Highway 62 in Prospect, where he was barricaded briefly inside a house before being apprehended without incident around 12:32 p.m.

A Jackson County Grand Jury indicted Bicknell on all charges Tuesday morning, and he is currently lodged in the Jackson County Jail on $250,000 bail, jail records show. 

Bicknell has previously been charged with crimes of first-degree sexual abuse in 1999, second-degree disorderly conduct in 2015, and second-degree animal abuse in 2008, according to court records.

Other crimes Bicknell has been charged with include criminal trespass, unlawful possession of methamphetamine, disorderly conduct, and escape in the second-degree between 1998 and 2020, records show. 

The arson case is open and ongoing with sheriff’s deputies and ODF investigating, and no further information is available at this time, according to the release. 

Reach reporter James Sloan at james.sloan@rv-times.com. Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at buff.pollock@rv-times.com.