Strange receives six plus years prison sentence for arson fire

CHELAN - Connor Leo Strange, an 18-year-old Chelan area man who set fire to a barn last summer, has received a prison sentence of more than six years. The blaze injured two Chelan County Sheriff office deputies as they pursued Strange on July 17, 2022.
After allegedly stealing a car around 12:30 p.m. that Sunday, Strange was seen driving the stolen vehicle towards the fairgrounds on Union Valley Road. According to Chelan County Superior Court documents, Deputies Cyrus Bowthorpe and William Tuengel pursued Strange. Seeing the deputies, the youth ran into the stable at the Lake Chelan Rodeo Grounds on North Bradley Street and locked himself inside. The 20’ x 20’ stable contained no animals at the time.
The teenager set some hay on fire to distract and dissuade the officers. The livestock stable, which was said to contain gasoline cans, exploded and caused a back draft that knocked back Bowthorpe and Tuengel.
The fire spread from the barn to nearby brush. Members of Chelan Fire and Rescue, along with Chelan Saddle members, extinguished the fire.
Strange suffered third-degree burns in the fire. He ran a short distance and then surrendered before receiving treatment at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
On March 1 in Superior Court, Strange pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree arson and two accounts of second-degree assault. Since Strange was 17 at the time of the incident, his attorney, along with the Chelan County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, recommended a sentence of five years as he was a minor.
Bowthorpe attended the sentencing hearing on March 15, accompanied by fellow law enforcement officers. He informed the Honorable Travis Brandt that he felt the proposed sentence was not long enough. Judge Brandt agreed and imposed the six year sentence on Strange along with 18 months of community custody after he is released.