Arson suspect fires lawyer, trial date moves to early next year

Tracy Robinson had his trial moved to early next year after firing his lawyer three days before he was supposed to be tried by a judge.

The five-day scheduled trial was slated to start Monday in Superior Court, but Justice Chris De Sa adjourned the matter at the request of Robinson. Dave McFadden, who was supposed to represent Robinson, said he met his client on Thursday to prepare him for the trial but the meeting didn’t go well.

“There has been a loss of confidence,” McFadden told De Sa.

On Friday, June 8, McFadden and assistant Crown attorney Kelly Eberhard received an email from Joleen Hiland, stating that Robinson had hired her. The Crown didn’t agree with Robinson’s request to delay the trial. Eberhard told the judge she was ready to proceed and four witnesses were set to testify on day one of the trial.

“This matter has gone on far too long,” she said.

De Sa explained to Robinson that he could take McFadden off the record as counsel, but it didn’t mean he was guaranteed an adjournment.

De Sa told him that would have been the case, but granted the adjournment based on the fact that Hiland could do the trial without a significant delay. Hiland also filed an 11B waiver for Robinson, meaning he can't attempt to have the charges thrown because of court delays he caused himself by firing McFadden.

Robinson will return to court on July 25, 2018 for a pretrial. Robinson was arrested in December 2016 for an alleged arson at Anchor Bay Trailer Park on Pigeon Lake in the summer of 2015.

According to Peterborough County OPP, the Trent Lakes Fire Services responded to a trailer fully engulfed in flames around 11 p.m. on July 15.

After a four-month criminal investigation, OPP charged the owner of the trailer. Robinson is charged with arson damage own property and arson for fraudulent purposes.

His new trial is scheduled to start Jan. 7, 2019.