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Man accused of torching SUV By Nick Morgan Updated: Nov 11, 2022 04:48 PM A A A man is in the Jackson County Jail on felony charges accusing him of extensively damaging a new SUV in his former partner’s Central Point driveway Halloween night. Thomas Lee Parks, 46, was charged this week in Jackson County Circuit Court on felony counts of second-degree arson and first-degree criminal mischief — along with a misdemeanor trespassing charge — accusing him of intentionally setting a fire in the 200 block of South Second Street in Central Point that damaged a 2022 Toyota RAV4. The fire was reported at 8:07 p.m. Oct. 31, according to an affidavit filed by a Central Point police detective. The following morning, investigators say they found a plastic two-liter bottle about 10 feet from the fire “with a small amount of a clear liquid inside that smelled of gasoline.” “I could see where the ground, and the surrounding grass, were burnt in a sweeping motion as if someone was attempting to dynamically pour a liquid or accelerant out around the vehicle,” according to the detective’s affidavit. Police identified Parks as a suspect based on footage from multiple surveillance cameras in the neighborhood, including one clip where Parks was allegedly identifiable as the suspect walking to and from the driveway at the time of the fire. The victim in the case is Parks’ “estranged partner,” according to police. The affidavit notes “multiple domestic incidents in the past,” and the victim told police Parks was not allowed at her property or near the vehicle. Parks was arrested Monday, and made his initial court appearance Tuesday. At the hearing, Judge Pro Tem Paul Moser ordered no early release unless Parks posts 10% bond on bail set at $200,000. His next court appearance was scheduled for Monday. Should Parks post bond, terms of his release require him not to possess any incendiary devices, not to possess any firearms actual or simulated and not to contact any alleged victims. Oregon court records show that Parks has a 2021 conviction for reportedly shooting another ex’s windows with a slingshot in March of last year, which reportedly did about $4,000 in damage to a home on Downing Road in Central Point. He pleaded no-contest to charges of stalking and felony criminal mischief in November of last year. Although not an admission of guilt, the plea has the same legal consequences as a guilty plea. Parks has other felony convictions dating back more than two decades including possessing a Schedule II controlled substance in 2000 and methamphetamine possession convictions in 2007, 2013 and 2015. Reach web editor Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MTwebeditor.