The 44-year-old St. Thomas man charged with arson following the $1 million blaze that destroyed an historic building in the 600 block on Talbot Street on July 6 was denied bail and returned to prison on Sept. 19.
At a judicial interim release hearing at Elgin County Courthouse to decide whether the accused could be released before his criminal trial, Justice of the Peace Anna Marie Hampson ruled against the defendant.
A publication ban was declared to prevent media reports on the JP’s reasons for denying bail, as well as arguments made by the Crown and the defence presented by the suspect’s Legal Aid Ontario representative.
A trial date has not yet been set, and the accused was returned to the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre where he has been held since his arrest by St. Thomas Police Service (STPS) hours after the fire was reported.
In Ontario, arson that endangers human life – an indictable offence under Section 433 of the Criminal Code – carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
An STPS media release after the downtown fire, reported that the building next door to the Indwell Railway City Lofts, was vacant at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported. The Indwell building was not visibly affected by the blaze and its inhabitants were not injured.
Police said the accused is “known to be a prolific offender,” adding that he was arrested five hours after the 4 a.m. fire was reported. He is charged with arson, fail to comply with a probation order, and possession of a Schedule 1 substance.
“An investigation into the cause of the fire deemed it to be an act of arson,” the STPS statement added. “Through investigation and review of CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras in the area, the accused was captured on security video breaching a door and entering the vacant building.
“He was then seen leaving and re-entering the structure before finally leaving the area, walking westbound down Talbot Street,” police said. “He was located and arrested by front-line patrol just after 9 a.m. this morning (July 6).”
He had 13 charges before the courts, including five counts of failure to comply with a probation order, mischief, uttering threats, and false fire alarm.
Police added that the accused was also bound by conditions of a probation order related to convictions on 14 other charges, including multiple mischief violations, arson, and failure to comply with a release order.
At the time of the fire, St. Thomas Fire Department officials said a blaze was set in the same building about two weeks prior. A man reportedly entered through the back door on that occasion. The back door was boarded up, and the front door was kicked in on July 6.
The fire levelled what was known as the Acacia Block, built by William E. Idsardi in 1881.Through the years, the 144-year-old building was occupied by Sanderson Hardware, EK Tasty Pastry bakery, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, and Roberts and Harris Jewellers.
The 15,000 square foot building was purchased in September 2024 by Brenndan Stevenson, of Toronto, and Oscar Paez, of London. They had recently renovated the building. Four commercial units on the ground floor were leased to businesses, and finishing touches were being applied to the six second-storey apartments.
Mr. Stevenson, who owns a Toronto-based construction company, has indicated the owners plan to construct a new building on the site.
In the STPS statement, Chief Marc Roskamp said: “Arson is not just a crime against property, it’s a crime against people, against safety and against the sense of security in a community.”