Fredericton firebug admits to lesser charge
Anthony Daniel Stewart, 42, admitted Tuesday to breaking into Fredericton apartment building and setting fire in laundry room; sentencing set for next month
A Fredericton man who broke into an occupied apartment building and set a fire earlier this year will be sentenced in a couple of weeks.
Anthony Daniel Stewart, 42, of no fixed address, appeared in Fredericton provincial court in custody Tuesday morning, scheduled to go to trial on a break-in charge.
However, he previously opted instead to plead guilty to break, enter and mischief at a Graham Avenue apartment building March 16.
Stewart had originally been charged with breaking into the building and thereby committing the offence of arson, but that was amended previously to break, enter and mischief.
He also admitted to a related charge of breaching a release order by having contact with his girlfriend, Haylee Lavigne, on the same date.
Crown prosecutor Patrick Wilbur said the investigation arose after Fredericton police and firefighters were dispatched to an apartment complex at 690 Graham Ave. shortly after 5 a.m. March 16 after receiving a report of a fire.
“There was smoke coming out of the basement of the building,” he said.
Firefighters extinguished a small fire in the sink of the building’s laundry room, court heard, as clothing in the sink was burning.
Fire department personnel smelled propane at the scene, Wilbur said, and they found a small propane torch and a candle.
He said the building had video surveillance, and it showed Stewart showing up at that location at about 4 a.m. and using a pair of pliers to force a door open to gain access to the premises.
Video showed he then let Lavigne into the building, court heard, and they made their way to the laundry room.
Shortly thereafter, Wilbur said, the fire alarm goes off and someone calls 911, and video surveillance captures Stewart and Lavigne exiting the building.
Police officers encountered Lavigne outside the building and she wasn’t wearing shoes, the prosecutor said, but Stewart was gone.
However, he’d had a roller bag at the scene, court heard, and the tracks from the bag were visible in the snow, and he was arrested elsewhere later.
“He was identified by two officers from video surveillance,” Wilbur said.
No mention was made Tuesday of any motive for the crime.
The prosecutor said the incident led to $3,100 in damages and labour for repairs.
Judge Cameron Gunn noted a pre-sentence report was already ordered for Stewart, and he ordered the preparation of a victim-impact statement from the owner of the building.
The judge set it over to July 5 for sentencing.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.
It's such a scary world we live in now and it seems to be getting worse.I never go out alone now but I can remember not so long ago when that was a safe thing to do.