Arsonist gets 2 years for fires in Stonebridge neighbourhood

Man pleads guilty to torching bins in act of frustration over housing

Frustrated with his housing situation and acting out, Cheyenne Richard Dreaver walked around Saskatoon's Stonebridge neighbourhood in the middle of the night, lighting fires in dumpsters and recycling bins behind various businesses.

He started at the Co-op gas bar off Stonebridge Boulevard just before 2 a.m. on Sept. 14, 2023, a Saskatoon provincial courtroom heard. The fire Dreaver had lit in a garbage can near the pumps crawled up a pole, engulfing the large canopy above before it was put out.

“The fire that caused the most concern and could have been dangerous to the safety or life of individuals was that fire,” Crown prosecutor Dan Dahl said.

Dreaver, 34, pleaded guilty to three counts of arson — one from May 20, 2023, another encompassing several garbage fires on Sept. 14 and a separate arson charge for the Co-op fire on the same day.

A witness first identified Dreaver as the person who lit a dumpster fire in the Clarence Avenue South alley around midnight on May 20, 2023, Dahl said when presenting the facts.

Four months later, police were called to numerous fires set in the Stonebridge area over a short period of time, including the Co-op, Golf Town, Dairy Queen and Home Depot, court heard.

According to police, Dreaver was arrested two days later after officers received a call about a suspicious person in the 500 block of Main Street.

Dahl said case law on arson sentences appears to depend on two factors: public risk and the amount of damage. He said the damage to the gas pumps was approximately $50,000. Police estimated there were around 25 pumps in the area; Judge Morris Baniak, who said he is familiar with the gas station, clarified there are 23.

“I'll tell you one thing, most gas stations, there's always a little bit of spillage on the ground and you have gasoline and diesel — highly flammable.

“This could have been an absolute disaster if there was any way for the fire to get to the underground tanks,” Baniak said before sentencing Dreaver to two years less a day in jail.

The Crown had sought the sentence of two years less a day for the Co-op arson, while Legal Aid lawyer Shane Kozakavich requested an 18-month sentence on the most serious arson charge.

He said his client has been the victim of violent crime while living on the streets for the past four years.

“(It) doesn't appear there has been a great deal of support for Mr. Dreaver in the community. It seems from a young age he's essentially been on his own. It's been difficult for him to gather any resources in the community to essentially make his life better,” Kozakavich said.

He told court Dreaver started the fires out of frustration.

“Of course, fire setting, as I've explained to Mr. Dreaver, isn't a solution to frustration. It isn't a good outlet for him, and I think going forward he appreciates that.”

The only significant conviction on his criminal record is a break and enter from 2022, Dahl noted. Dreaver also pleaded guilty to failing to report to his probation officer in Regina in January 2022, and failing to attend court on the breach charge that summer.

Pleas were attempted back in November, but things went sideways, Dahl said.

With an enhanced remand credit, Dreaver has 586 days remaining on his sentence.