Man arrested for violating burn ban | Crime

The statewide burn ban remains in effect and lawmen are taking the ban very seriously.

Justin Popejoy, 30, was arrested Friday after police found a large pile of debris burning in his backyard.

The police report says an officer driving by saw flames four feet high coming from a pit that had been dug in the yard.

When questioned, Popejoy told the officer he was just cooking outdoors.

MSgt. Gary Knight, with the Oklahoma City Police Department, said, "These were very large flames. We are currently under a burn ban; right now, you cannot use a fire pit, something with an open flame, you can only cook with propane or natural gas."

Popejoy apparently did not think he had done anything wrong.