Man Arrested After Blowing up Fireworks in Northeast Portland
Monday, April 03, 2017
GoLocalPDX News Team
Nicholas Lee Burtner |
Nicholas Lee Burtner, 24, was charged of Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree.
He will be arraigned on Tuesday.
The Incident
On Monday April 3, at 12:14 a.m., North Precinct officers responded to a report of gunfire in the area of Northeast 152nd Avenue and Beech Court. Officers arrived in the area and heard a loud "bang" coming from the area of a nearby home on Beech Court and saw an explosion next to one of the arriving patrol cars as well as an explosion in the back yard of the home.
As officers began establishing containment around the home and checked for evidence of gunfire and victims, a man walked out of the home and was contacted by officers.
The man, later identified as Burtner, appeared under the influence of intoxicants and was unable to provide information to officers. The officer noted several "Roman Candle" firework cylinders and a roll of partially burned paper towels along the side of the house.
Officers conducted a welfare check inside the home to determine if there were any victims and located the house in complete disarray and observed several firearms, bullets, evidence of gunfire, and a large quantity of pills believed to be benzodiazepine, commonly known as the prescription drug Xanax. Officers also located evidence of butane hash oil (BHO) manufacturing in the home.
Officers spoke with other residents of the home and learned that Burtner was acting erratically, was armed with a gun and was shooting off fireworks. No gunshot victims or injured parties were located in the home.
Portland Fire & Rescue responded and assisted with the scene to make sure there were no dangerous chemicals or risk of fire remaining at the home.
The firearms and pills were seized as part of an ongoing investigation into drug activity.