There were a lot of unhappy people when the man who allegedly lit a fire in a forested area of Glenrosa earlier this month was released from custody.
Although they will still likely be upset that he was out free for 12 days, the man accused of trying to start the fire has now been arrested and charged with arson.
This latest development comes after an investigation by the West Kelowna RCMP led to the submission of a disclosure package to the BC Prosecution Service.
Once the arson charges were approved, an arrest warrant was issued for 36-year-old Stephen Leader, who was taken into custody this morning.
He made his first court appearance in Kelowna this afternoon.
The incident happened shortly after 8:30 pm on July 10 near the 3000 block of Webber Road.
Residents of the area spotted a man, now believed to be Leader, shirtless in a forested area behind many homes in the area.
He was carrying a homemade torch of some sort and allegedly attempted to ignite several trees and bushes, which was caught on video and shared to social media.
Fortunately, the residents quickly jumped into action and were able to extinguish any flames that were produced.
“This incident was extremely dangerous, and we commend the members of the neighbourhood for doing an excellent job in extinguishing the fire so quickly and helping progress the investigation,” S/Sgt. Duncan Dixon said at the time of the incident..
“The conditions in this area are extremely dry and without their quick actions, this could potentially have grown into a substantial fire.”
Leader was arrested a short time later, but was released pending the results of the investigation.
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