Man arrested after starting small fire, breaching conditions

Mar 26, 2024 | 3:00 PM

A man was apprehended in downtown Vernon after allegedly lighting fires and breaching court conditions.

Vernon RCMP say the Crime Reduction Unit was on patrol at around 9:30 p.m. Thursday, March 21, when they came across an unattended fire in the 2600 block of Highway 6.

The fire was near a building, and an individual was seen leaving the area.

Officers doused the fire and prevented it from spreading, and additional officers were called in to help locate the possible suspect.

A short time later, police located a man crouched over and attempting to start another fire with a butane torch.

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The original officers recognized the man, who was known to police, and bound by court-imposed conditions not to possess any incendiary devices.

“The Crime Reduction unit consists of plain clothes officers driving unmarked police vehicles,” Cpl. Tania Finn, media relations officer for the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP, said.

“Since they blend in, these officers are often in a position to observe criminal activity that a suspect would not normally attempt in front of a police officer.”

The suspect, a 35-year-old Vernon man, was taken into custody and charged with failure to comply with a probation order.

by Liam Verster

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