Oregon State Police searching for Duck fan who burned turf at Reser Stadium

Just days after Oregon State Police retrieved the giant replica of Lee Corso's head and charged two men with its theft, they've begun a search for an Oregon Ducks fan who burned turf at Reser Stadium following Oregon's victory in the Civil War on Saturday. Police released a photograph on Tuesday and urged people to come forward if they have any information.Oregon won the game, 37-20, successfully wrapping up a perfect 12-0 regular season and a bid in the BCS National Championship game.But the theft of Corso's head - a $5,000 prop used by ESPN's College Gameday - and the burnt stadium turf have put a damper on the situation. Wrote the Register Guard:?It?s pretty noticeable,? said Steve Fenk, an Oregon State University assistant athletic director. Not only is it noticeable, the burn marks on the ?r? of the ?Beavers? logo in the middle of OSU?s football field could cost more than $5,000 to repair because the entire logo will have to be replaced, Fenk said. Otherwise, simply placing a patch of new turf on the burn marks would stand out from the older turf, he said.Oregon State Police are looking for a young man who was wearing a No. 9 UO jersey and others surrounding him in a photograph that appeared in the Portland Tribune. The man can be seen waving a burning object that police say is likely a T-shirt or other article of clothing. Next to him is a man smoking what appears to be a small cigar. Police are hoping someone recognizes the man waving the burning item and others in the photograph, and that ultimately an arrest can be made. The two Duck fans arrested for stealing Corso's head are currently facing felony theft charges, and state police say that, when identified, the fan who lit the turf on fire could be charged with a criminal mischief felony because the piece of turf is valued at over $1,000 and because the fire put the fans celebrating in danger. The crime is punishable with a maximum $125,00 fine and up to a five-year jail sentence.?One of our fears, if you start a fire on AstroTurf, it?s a plastic-based material that could potentially ignite,? Schleicher said. ?We found a cigar wrapper down there. There were reports of folks down there lighting cigars, which would be common with going to a BCS bowl game. (But) how it got started, we don?t know yet.? (Register Guard)The police report overshadowed a delightful story that was written Tuesday about Oregon WR D.J. Davis quietly wearing a photograph on his uniform of Notre Dame student Declan Sullivan, who tragically fell to his death after high winds knocked the hydraulic lift he was standing on to the ground. According to the Oregonian, Police ask anyone who can identify the man or witnesses near the man to call Senior Trooper Orly Johnson at 541-737-3010 or e-mail at orly.johnson@oregonstate.edu.They also want people to contact Johnson if they have their own photos or video of what happened. �**Join the Facebook fan page and have the articles delivered directly to your Facebook news feed by clicking here.**You can also join the Pac-10 fan page and have all articles pertaining to the Pac-10 sent to your news feed by clicking here.

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