Coos Bay Police arrest local male for setting fire to a building in the Empire Y Plaza, Oct. 2

CBPD release – On 09/29/20 at 1952 hours Coos Bay Police Officers responded to a reported fire on the east side of the building at the southeast end of the Y Plaza located at 1165 Newmark Ave Coos Bay. This section of building is currently occupied by O.C. Cab Company. The 911 caller, identified as Jared Murray, reported the fire and provided information about a man who he believed had started the fire. Mray described the male suspect, and a Coos Bay Officer recognized the description matched a male that he had contacted in the same area earlier on a complaint of an intoxicated man who was being vulgar and confrontational to customers of Bay Burger Inn. The male suspect was identified as 49 year old Shad Scott Ebinger. Mr. Ebinger was contacted on the sidewalk in front of the Nancy Deveraux Center around 2007 hours. After the investigation was completed, Mr. Ebinger was taken into custody on charges of Arson in the second degree, Criminal Mischief in the first degree, reckless endangering, and theft of mail. Two O.C. Cab Company employees were inside the building when it was ignited, and the interior was filled with smoke, however there were no injuries, and the damage was minimized as a result of the swift actions of another cab employee named Edward Burdge, who used a fire extinguisher to slow the spread of the fire until the Coos Bay Fire Department arrived. Mr. Ebinger was transported to the Coos County Jail on the listed charges.