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Man who allegedly set fire to Glenrosa forest faces trial next August

Trial set for alleged arsonist

A man who was filmed allegedly trying to set fire to a forested area near homes in the Glenrosa area last summer will face trial next August.

A resident on Webber Road filmed a man lurking behind their homes on the evening of July 10. The man appeared to light something on fire and threw it into the trees, before running from the scene.

Neighbours acted quickly and managed to douse the fire with hoses and extinguishers before the flames took off in the tinder-dry trees.

Police were called to the scene and a suspect, Stephen Leader, was arrested shortly after. But to the shock of the residents, he was released on a number of conditions the next morning, pending further investigation.

“I'm not kidding, we were freaked out going to sleep the next night,” a resident told Castanet at the time. "It's not a very nice feeling ... like, holy crap, how could they let him out of jail."

“Everybody in Glenrosa is really pissed off. As if we're not in danger enough by the natural fires that are happening.”

Twelve days later, the Crown charged Leader with arson in relation to an inhabited property, and he was arrested once again.

Last week, Leader's two-day trial was scheduled for Aug. 15, 2022.

Following a hearing in August, Leader was refused bail, and he's remained in custody ever since.

Leader is currently serving 18 months of probation for three unrelated convictions of possession of stolen property over $5,000 and theft under $5,000 in West Kelowna, along with breaking and entering in Kamloops. The three charges all occurred in 2020.

He pleaded guilty to the three charges and was sentenced to the probation period last December.



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