GUELPH – Justin Nicholas Johnathon Beal of Guelph-Eramosa will next appear in court in Guelph on June 20 for a judicial pretrial.
Beal is charged with seven counts of arson.
His matter was previously being handled in the Ontario Court of Justice but was moved to the Superior Court of Justice after a March 20 to 22 discovery hearing.
Beal was first charged at the end of October 2017 for six fires and again in January 2018 for a seventh fire.
From September 2016 to August 2017, Wellington County OPP and fire officials responded to numerous suspicious fires, most of which were in abandoned rural homes and buildings.
A multi-jurisdictional team consisting of police, fire officials and the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office investigated a total of 18 blazes.
Fires
Beal was charged in relation to the following fires:
– Oct. 14, 2016 house fire at 5230 Third Line, Guelph-Eramosa;
– Oct. 19, 2016 house fire at 5292 Third Line, Guelph-Eramosa;
– Dec. 5, 2016 barn fire at 7070 Fife Road in Guelph-Eramosa;
– Feb. 3, 2017 shed fire at 6873 Highway 7 Guelph-Eramosa;
– Feb. 3, 2017 house and barn fire at 5413 Township Road 3, Guelph-Eramosa;
– June 25, 2017 shed fire at 5324 Wellington Road 125, Erin; and
– June 25, 2017 house fire at 8813 Sideroad 27, Erin.
