Fire at home on Hawthorne Place in Coldstream in January 2022. (Vernon Matters photo)

By Pete McIntyre

Law courts

Arson suspect opts for judge and jury trial

May 4, 2023 | 6:00 AM

A man charged in an arson case in Coldstream has changed his mind about how he would like to be tried.

Matthew Eric Mason re-elected a Supreme Court trial by judge and jury during a provincial court appearance in Vernon this week.

Mason, who was born in 1983, had originally chosen to be tried by a provincial court judge.

His next court date is May 24, 2023 for a preliminary inquiry to examine Crown evidence in the case.

A fire at a residence on Hawthorne Place in Coldstream on Jan. 14, 2022 left a home a total loss.

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No one was injured.

Investigators ruled the cause as suspicious, and later that night, Mason was arrested and later charged with arson in relation to inhabited property.

He is also charged with breach of a release order.

Damage to home on Hawthorne Place in Coldstream from January 2022 fire (Vernon Matters photo)

by Pete McIntyre

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