Ryan Warnock was caught on video surveillance at the scene of the arson.
(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)
February 05, 2016 - 11:32 AM
VERNON - A Vernon man admitted he set a fire outside a local pet shop last summer.
Ryan Patrick Warnock, 33, was set to go to trial Thursday, Feb. 4 in Vernon Provincial Court for arson, but pleaded guilty instead.
Warnock lit a small fire behind AJ’s Pets & Things on 31 Avenue Sept. 6, 2015. The fire burned the back door of the store, but was doused in large part thanks to the heroic actions of a good samaritan who happened upon the scene.
The whole thing was caught on the store’s video surveillance, which helped police apprehend Warnock.
Warnock is due back in court April 27 to fix a date for sentencing.
The owners of the pet store said in a September 2015 interview that while the damage was minor, the fire quickly could have destroyed the whole building, taking the helpless animals inside with it.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2016