Two people from Castlegar have been charged with arson related to two fires, at St. Rita's Catholic church and a vehicle owned by the Red Cross at Kinnaird Community Church, that occurred Monday, March 25.
RCMP Inspector Nick Romanchuk confirmed by phone that 18-year-old Lee Wilding of Castlegar and a 16-year-old Castlegar female were charged. The female cannot be named due to her age.
A full press release is expected shortly and we will have updates.
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UPDATE:
A press release has now been issued relating to the above arrests.
The female who was charged cannot be named under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Lee Wilding of Castlegar and the female have each been charged with two counts of arson in relation to these fires. The female was taken before a Judicial Justice of the Peace where she was released on strict conditions. Wilding has been remanded in custody since his arrest on March 28, 2013 and is appearing in Grand Forks Provincial Court today (April 2, 2013).
"The investigation was lead by the Castlegar Crime Reduction Unit and included resources from the Kootenay Boundary Regional Detachment General Investigation Section, members of Castlegar Detachment, as well as resources from other areas of British Columbia," said Inspector Nick Romanchuk, Kootenay Boundary Regional Detachment in the release.
"Everyone involved in this investigation did an outstanding job of quickly gathering evidence to allow for arrests to be made and charges laid within a very timely manner. Over the past number of years we have developed a very strong investigative capacity with respect to serious criminal offences and this incident is a testament to that fact."
The investigation into the garage fire is still ongoing.
Please direct any inquiries to Inspector Nick Romanchuk, Kootenay Boundary Regional Detachment, at (250) 354-5172