Oregon man convicted after setting fire to TJ Maxx to enable girlfriend to shoplift

( Post Millennial )

A man in Eugene, Oregon has been sentenced to thirty months in prison for setting fire to a local TJ Maxx shop "as a distraction" so his girlfriend could shoplift.

Zachary Everett Oberle, 34, was charged with second-degree arson and criminal mischief in the first degree following the incident, and eventually pleaded guilty.

According to the Eugene Police Department, Oberle's guilty plea meant the case was handled via open sentencing. Prosecutors asked for a thirty-month prison sentence, while the defense argued probation was a just punishment. In the end, the judge sided with the state, handing down the maximum sentence.

The incident in question took place just before 10 pm on May 23, 2022 at the TJ Maxx on Coburg Road just across the river from downtown. After Oberle and his girlfriend entered the store, he allegedly lit a fire, and through the commotion, she ran about grabbing items off the shelves.

Eugene Springfield Fire Marshals responded and together with the Eugene Police Patrol, they contained the fire. EPD Arson investigators arrived on scene afterward to survey the extent of the damage, which was estimated to amount to more than $92,000.

It wasn't until nearly six months later that Oberle was arrested. He and his girlfriend had been identified via surveillance footage, and a search warrant was authorized. An officer spotted Oberle's girlfriend on November 15, and found him soon after. The EPD served the warrant on her apartment and were able to recover some of the property she had stolen from the TJ Maxx.

According to KPTV, Oberle had several active warrants for his arrest at the time of the incident.