Salem man charged in connection with Capital Baptist Church fire, other crimes

Statesman Journal

A Salem man has been charged in connection with a week-long crime spree in the Salem area that included setting a church on fire.

Carl Sandberg, 34, is charged with residential and non-residential burglaries, arsons, vehicle thefts and other related crimes in Salem and parts of Marion and Linn counties, according to Lt. Treven Upkes with the Salem Police Department.

The arsons, which included the Capital Baptist Church, resulted in personal property destruction. Two pet dogs died in the fires.

Sandberg, who has prior felony convictions, also allegedly stole a loaded firearm in one of the burglaries.

He has been charged with two counts of first-degree arson, two counts of first-degree burglary, first-degree aggravated animal abuse, two counts of identity theft and unlawful use of a vehicle, according to court documents.

There will be a third arson charge added, according to Upkes, and potentially more.

Sandberg was arraigned Monday at the Marion County Criminal Court Annex. His bail was set for $500,000. His next appearance is scheduled at 8 a.m. Sept. 19.

Several victims were present at the arraignment, including Cristal Baptiste and her family. Baptiste said her Northeast Salem home was destroyed by fire on Sept. 3 — only three days after moving in.

Baptiste, her husband and three children were not in the home, but the family lost their pitbull, Bella, in the fire.

"Waking up in a hotel every day is a daily reminder of...we'll never have what we had," Baptiste said. "My reaction is: Why? To take my home from my children...your biggest goal is to keep your kids safe and have a home, and I don't have that right now."

Baptiste said she plans to be present at each court hearing to remind him "of the hurt that he brought to my family."

Crime spree

According to probable cause statements from the Salem Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff's Office, the events occurred as followed:

On Aug. 17, a resident on the 4100 block of Weathers Avenue NE reported that her car was stolen from her driveway.

She said she'd inadvertently left her keys on the roof of her car overnight. The victim additionally reported her credit card, passport and wallet were in the car at the time it was stolen.

Police found the victim's car later the same day in the 4900 block of Song Sparrow Street NE after a caller reported the car suspiciously parked in the neighborhood.

On Sept. 1, a suspect broke into the same home through the laundry room.

Police said the suspect stole electronics, clothing, and personal documents from three residents. The suspect also poured gasoline throughout the house and set fire to the rug in the laundry room and another fire in the garage.

The fire was discovered minutes after the suspect fled the home. The fire remained small and flames didn't spread to the gasoline poured in the three rooms of the living area. Police estimate the value of the stolen property to be more than $1,000.

On Sept. 4, Police and fire officials responded to a house fire in the 1500 block of 18th Street NE.

It was later discovered by the victims a burglary had occurred within the hour the house was set on fire.

The victims were not at home when the fire occurred, except for their dog, Joe, who died.

Several items were stolen from the home including electronics, credit cards and mail. The victims reported a number of fraudulent transactions using their credit cards.

A neighbor's surveillance footage captured the suspect and his getaway car for the crimes committed on Sept. 1. Several people who recognized the suspect, as well as the car and the driver, called authorities after the footage was released to media outlets and posted on social media.

The driver, identified as the suspect's girlfriend, became a person of interest. Police linked the suspect to his girlfriend's apartment because of a stolen truck he used to commit a number of the crimes.

The woman's neighbor noticed the stolen truck parked near her apartment and saw the suspect carrying property from the truck to her apartment.

When interviewed by Salem Police detectives, the suspect's girlfriend identified the car involved in the Sept. 1 crime as her Saturn Vue and the male suspect as Carl Sandberg.

Sandberg's girlfriend confirmed that she was the driver of the Saturn Vue at the time of the crime, but said she didn't know what Sandberg was doing. She also confirmed the property he took from the house was taken to her apartment.

On Sept. 6, officers served a search warrant at the woman's apartment in the 2300 block of Coral Avenue NE. Police discovered evidence from the vehicle theft, the Sept. 1 burglary and arson, along with other stolen property linked to the other crimes.

On Sept. 7, Marion County Sheriff's Deputy Sofia Contenta was following up on a burglary call that took place Aug. 25 at a house in the 4000 block of Carolina Avenue NE.

One of the items stolen was a credit card. A bank transaction showed the card was used at the El Torito market on Lancaster Drive NE.

Contenta spoke to the store manager at El Torito, who was able to find three transactions made with the stolen card. The transactions totaled more than $500 — most of the amount was used to purchase lottery tickets.

The manager was able to get surveillance footage of the suspect to give to deputies Contenta and Joel Crandall, who identified the man as the same suspect that was wanted by Salem Police Department in connection with burglaries and arsons.

While driving on Lancaster Drive NE at Iberis Street NE, the deputies recognized the suspect from the photos. The suspect took off running on Lancaster Drive. Crandall chased the suspect on foot, while Contenta chased in the car.

Crandall stopped and arrested the suspect, identified as Sandberg, near the Sandalwood Apartments on Etta Drive NE.

Virginia Barreda is the breaking news reporter with the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at 503-399-6657 or at vbarreda@statesmanjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2.