Convicted

Waterloo man gets 11 months jail time in string of fires

KITCHENER — A 32-year-old man charged in a string of fires in Waterloo was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty to three counts of arson.

Daniel Morrow, who has been in custody since his September arrest, was given a sentence of 11 months in jail and three years of probation for fires that were started last summer.

While reading out his sentence, Justice Melanie Sopinka told the court in Kitchener that police had found empty Gatorade bottles with gasoline residue at some of the fire sites.

Morrow’s DNA was found on one of the bottles.

When police searched Morrow’s Waterloo home, which was located within 2.5 kilometres of the fires, police found a shed with containers of gasoline and empty Gatorade and water bottles, Sopinka read to the court.

Morrow was originally charged with seven counts of arson for fires that were set to sheds, at construction sites and at a school portable.

He pleaded guilty to three counts after a plea bargain was arranged.

Sopinka told the court on Monday that it was unclear what Morrow’s motives were. However, it was clear he was “in the throes of his addiction” to methamphetamine at the time of the offences.

Morrow has two months of his jail sentence left to serve as he was given credit for his time spent in jail prior to his conviction and for overcrowding and lockdown situations at Maplehurst Correctional Complex.