Arson charges laid against four people in Digby County fires
The Digby RCMP have arrested four people in connection with recent arsons said to have occurred in Digby County.
The arrests are related to fires that the RCMP claims were set to abandoned buildings earlier this month, and a grass fire in July.
According to a media release issued Sept. 14, RCMP arrested a 17-year-old male youth from Doucetteville (whose name cannot be reported due to his age) and 20-year-old Andrew Wayne Gosson of Plympton Station for arson. This was in relation to a fire at a building on Doucetteville Road earlier that same evening.
Subsequent investigation led investigators to determine that the 17-year-old and another man, 22-year-old Blake Joseph Potter from Plympton, intentionally set another structure fire in Doucet- teville on Sept. 1. Potter was arrested on Sept. 17.
The RCMP say that officers then determined that 21- yearold Ryan James Robicheau of Plympton was responsible for lighting a grass fire in Plympton Station on July 8. He was arrested on Sept. 20.
None of these allegations have been proven in court.
Gosson, Potter and Robicheau were released from police custody on conditions and are scheduled to appear in Digby Provincial Court on Dec. 10. The youth was also released and is scheduled to appear in Digby Youth Justice Court on Sept. 24.
The RCMP was assisted by the Nova Scotia Office of the Fire Marshal in their investigations.
Asked what triggered the suspected arson investigations, RCMP spokesperson Corporal Andrew Joyce spoke in more general terms, “The fire investigators, to each fire that you go to, you look at it and say did it naturally occur or was it an arson? We have choices, was it a criminal act or was it not a criminal act in any type of fire. In these cases I guess they were determined to be criminal acts, being an arson, and for that reason it generated an investigation.”
The media release says the police continue to investigate several fires that they feel have been intentionally set. Asked if these fires are more recent fires around the same timeframe, or whether they are more dated fires, Cpl. Joyce said, “I think what I’m prepared to say is the geographical area is the commonality.”
The Tri-County Vanguard made several attempts to speak with the fire chief or a representative of the local fire department in the days leading up to our print publication deadline about the charges but were unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Digby RCMP at 902-245-2579. Quote File# 20181384308. Should you wish to remain anonymous call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers toll free at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www. crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips App.