Four young persons, all females, are jointly charged with six charges of arson, following police investigation into a number of fires, believed to have been set deliberately overnight. Three of the girls are fifteen years old; one is sixteen.
Police were dispatched, at midnight Friday, September 9, 2011, for a report of a garbage bin fire in the 2000 block of Edgar Street. As the officers arrived, they observed both a garage, at mid-block, with smoke starting to billow out of the doors and a garbage bin on fire at the north end of the same block. The patrol member requested additional resources including Regina Fire and Protective Services and began investigation into the incident. Further investigation led to the discovery of four other fires and an attempted arson. The locations of all seven incidents are as follows:
- Garage in 2000 block of Edgar St.– structure and contents destroyed.
- Garbage bin in 2000 block of Edgar St.,
- Garage in 2200 block Reynolds St.– extensive damage to structure and vehicles.
- Garbage bin in 2200 block Reynolds St.,
- Garbage bin in 2100 block Reynolds St.,
- Mattress in rear yard of property on 2300 block Reynolds St.,
- Attempt arson of garage in 2100 block Atkinson St.
Police located and arrested a 16 year-old female in the garage on Atkinson Street. Further investigation led to the identification of three other female suspects; all four females were subsequently jointly charged with offences in relation to these incidents. The original damage estimate was set at 30-thousand dollars. That has since been revised to 90-thousand dollars. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported as a result of these incidents.
The four females cannot be named in accordance with the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. They are jointly charged with six charges of Arson [434 CC] and one charge of Break and Enter with Intent to Commit Arson [348(1)(a)CC]. The four made their first court appearances on these charges in Youth Court today, Friday, September 9, 2011, at 2:00 p.m.
