Fire
California Highway Patrol responded to the call of a car on fire, started by the owner to keep the bears away. Responding officers immediately extinguished the fire.
Allen Ray Houck, 32, of Rio Linda, told officers he knew there were bears in the area, so he’d set the fire on his hood to scare them away.
“He was just talking about bears. Bears, bears, bears. (Officers) noticed objective signs of intoxication. Eventually, he was placed under arrest for being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, and arson.”
– Officer Carlos Perez told Sierra Sun
Officers said it looked like Houck was living out of his vehicle. He started the fire on his hood using trash from inside his car.
Houck was taken to the hospital and later booked into the Nevada County Jail. Officers are still waiting for the toxicology report to determine what drugs he may have taken.
“When someone’s lighting their hood on fire and saying they’re scaring bears away, there’s obviously something else going on the background.”
– Carlos Perez
That’s one way to do it.