"Oregon County Seeks to Prosecute Federal Employee in Unprecedented Move"
A federal wildland firefighter, Ricky Snodgrass, faces a reckless burn charge after a controlled burn he supervised spread onto private land in eastern Oregon. His attorneys are seeking to move the case to federal court, where the charges could be dropped. The arrest has raised concerns among federal workers about the potential chilling effect on vital wildfire prevention programs, especially given the already low pay for wildland firefighters. The incident has also highlighted the longstanding mistrust of the federal government in rural Oregon, where relations between the county and federal land managers have been historically strained.