Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan reports on July 18, 2025 at 11:15 p.m., deputies responded to the report of a man walking in the middle of Brownsville Road, north of Brownsville, striking vehicles with rocks, causing damage.
Additional calls were received and included statements the male was continuing his disorderly behavior and, at one point, threw a bicycle into a vehicle. The man then ran into a field near the intersection of Brownsville Road and Harrison Road where he lit harvested hay on fire before fleeing into the field.
The fire was extinguished by the Brownsville Rural Fire Protection District as deputies and Oregon State Police troopers began searching for the man. Additional resources to include a Corvallis Police Department K9 unit and an Albany Police Department Drone Operator. The male, identified as Kenneth Helfrich, 44 of Lebanon, was located hiding in the nearby field.
Helfrich was lodged at the Linn County Sheriff’s Office jail on multiple charges related to damaging vehicles to include Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Criminal Mischief in the First Degree, Criminal Trespassing in the Second Degree, Reckless Endangering, Giving False Information to a Police Officer, and multiple warrants. Additional charges are expected relating to the fire.
Anyone with additional information on this case is encouraged to call the Linn County Sheriff’s Office at 541-967-3950.