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62 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, August 3, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 28, 2004 Arson fire could easily have caused a fatality Arsonist gets 14 years in prison after pleading guilty in Circuit Court Tuesday By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune When Tawny Glass came clean to police about an embezzlement scheme in her workplace, she knew she might be a target for retribution. She feared her co-worker’s boyfriend might slash her tires, she said. She never dreamed he’d set fire to her Central Point house while her 14-year-old daughter was home alone — asleep. "My daughter still gets nervous sometimes when she hears things outside," Glass said. "It could have been so much worse." The arsonist, 34-year-old Michael Edward Jason, was sentenced to 14 years in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty in Jackson County Circuit Court to a charge of attempted aggravated murder. An admitted drug dealer, Jason long has been a thorn in the side of local law enforcement but has never served more than a year and six months in prison, police said. Jason hatched the arson plan after hearing that Glass, 38, talked to police about an internal theft from Panther Crushing Inc. and Shenandoah Restaurant and Lounge, where she worked as an office assistant. Jason’s girlfriend, 32-year-old Christina Renee Burcher, was the office manager and bookkeeper. Investigators said they believe Burcher embezzled more than $200,000 from the business owner, William Link of White City, over four years. Advertisement Glass told Detective Colin Fagan of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department that she was receiving business checks for thousands of dollars from Burcher, who also wrote them to herself and Jason. Glass told Fagan that she was afraid of Jason, who was always in and out of jail. At about 4 a.m. on July 26, 2003 — the morning after Glass spoke to detectives — Jason took five cans of gasoline and two accomplices to Glass’ home in the 1000 block of Edwina Street, said state prosecutor Tim Barnack. Glass and her husband had gone to the coast for the weekend. With the help of 21-year-old Edward Allen Rider and 22-year-old Steven Michael Keith, Jason poured a trail of gasoline around the house, ignited it and drove away, Barnack said. Blocking both the front and back doors, the fire crawled up the outside walls and penetrated the attic while Tiffany Glass soundly slept. A neighbor heard a small explosion when the gasoline was touched off, and saw Glass’ house in flames. She ran next door and rang the door bell until Tiffany woke up, Fagan said. The quick action saved the girl, who likely would have died from smoke inhalation after about three minutes, said Don Hickman, deputy fire marshal for Jackson County Fire District No. 3. "If this would have gone unnoticed for a few more minutes, we would have had a fatal fire," Hickman said. When Glass told Fagan about the fire, he immediately suspected Jason. Over the next few months, police collected statements from witnesses who had seen Jason with Rider and Keith on the night of the arson. Rider’s fingerprint was found on a piece of plastic at the scene while Keith left behind part of his nylon shorts that had accidentally caught fire, Fagan said. The three were charged in October last year. Rider, of Phoenix, and Keith, of Medford, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charges of first-degree arson and an unrelated charge of second-degree burglary stemming from a 2003 break-in at Diamond Showcase on Biddle Road. Circuit Court Judge Lorenzo Mejia ordered Rider to serve eight years and seven months in prison for both crimes. Keith was sentenced to eight years. Burcher, of Medford, pleaded guilty last month to charges of racketeering, first-degree theft and first-degree forgery. She is serving a prison sentence of a year and six months. Charges are pending against Glass. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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