Kelowna man charged with Monday arson, released from custody

Photo: File photo

An alleged arsonist arrested in Kelowna's Glenmore area Monday night was released from custody on a number of conditions the day following his arrest, despite already being on probation and facing three other active court files.

Police arrested 32-year-old Thomas Dean just after 9:30 p.m. Monday in the 1900 block of Kane Road, after witnesses reported a man attempting to light bushes on fire in a commercial area.

Luckily, fire did not take off and there was no damage to the buildings.

Dean was charged with arson, but Tuesday morning, Judge Monica McParland released him from custody with no financial obligation, but a number of court-imposed conditions.

Dean has a lengthy criminal history, and he's facing a number of charges from several other Kelowna incidents over the past year. He's also currently under an 18-month probation order after pleading guilty to more than a dozen charges in February of this year.

Dean's alleged arson attempt came the day after a human-caused fire was sparked near the base of Dilworth Mountain, during Sunday night's wind storm. The fire was sparked at the same time fire crews were trying to save homes from the Mount Law wildfire in Glenrosa and the White Rock Lake wildfire near the north end of Westside Road.

Following an investigation into the Dilworth fire, the Kelowna RCMP says they “were unable to determine if the fire was accidental or deliberately set.”

Meanwhile, Stephen Leader remains in custody after he was charged with setting fire to a forested area near homes in the Glenrosa area in July.

Leader was first arrested on the evening of July 10 after allegedly lighting a fire in the trees near Webber Road in Glenrosa. Neighbours doused the fire before it could spread.

While the incident was caught on video, Leader was released from custody while police continued to investigate. On July 21, he was arrested and charged with arson in relation to an inhabited property.

He's remained in custody since his arrest, adjourning several possible bail hearings. A new date for his bail hearing will be scheduled Friday.

Dean, meanwhile, was released from custody less than 24 hours after his arrest, despite already facing eight criminal charges for three separate incidents.

He faces four counts of break and entering and one count of theft under $5,000 stemming from a Nov. 9, 2020 incident in Kelowna, along with two separate charges of committing an indecent act in public in Kelowna, on April 9 and April 27.

Prior to the recent alleged arson incident, he had previously been released from custody on July 3.

He's set to face trial on two of his matters in March of next year, but he'll next appear in court on his latest arson charge on Sept. 7.