Residents and business owners in St. Thomas, Ont., are feeling disheartened after a historic building in their downtown area was completely destroyed by an alleged arson over the weekend.
On Monday, police took into custody Joseph Penfound, 44, whom they labeled a “prolific offender,” charging him with arson, failing to comply with probation orders, and possession of a Schedule 1 substance. This incident has reignited discussions around bail reform for repeat offenders.
“It’s absolutely devastating. Small businesses are being affected and we’re just really grateful that nobody was hurt. It’s just a terrible tragedy, so it was really rough to see,” said Shae-Lynn Stanford, an employee at Purely Wicked, a boutique located across the street from where the fire occurred.
“It’s just tragic that there seems to be so many things like this happening in town and it does affect all of us deeply.”
More than 20 firefighters responded to the scene at 616 Talbot St. shortly after 4 a. m. ET on Sunday and fought the flames for several hours, leading to road closures in the area along with nearby businesses shutting down temporarily. The building was undergoing renovations for housing and retail space but now lies in ruins, with damages estimated over $1 million.
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The vacant building dating back to 1881 was being renovated for housing and a retail space but has now been reduced debris. Officials estimate damage from the fire exceeds $1 million. (Isha Bhargava/CBC)
According to police reports, Penfound is well-known within law enforcement circles and currently faces 13 charges stemming from incidents since mid-2024. He was also on probation due to 14 criminal offenses committed in 2021.
Chris Cottrell works at a sports bar across the street and witnessed the fire firsthand. He believes this alleged act of arson was incredibly reckless and could have resulted in fatalities.
“There was so much smoke you couldn’t even see the street; it was that thick,” he stated. “Nobody wants to see a building burn down. It’s one thing for a fire to happen; it’s another for it to be set on purpose, and it could’ve been a lot worse than what it was.”
Police Chief Says Arson Posed Serious Risk
St. Thomas Police Chief Marc Roskamp shared his frustration regarding how repeat offenders impact community safety within the criminal justice system.
“This could have been devastating for our community with the loss of life. This is a serious crime-just as serious as those who use weapons. In this case, fire served as that weapon,” Roskamp remarked. “This individual should be looked at very carefully by the courts for possible detention because this crime could have taken lives.”
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The historic building was next to apartments owned by Indwell, the non-profit housing organization which said all staff and residents were unharmed and evacuated immediately.(Isha Bhargava/CBC)
Last month saw new legislation introduced called Protect Ontario Through Safer Streets and Stronger Communities Act becoming law. It includes specialized terms related to bail aimed at enhancing collection efforts on forfeited bail amounts.
The provincial government has also reached out directly via letter to federal public safety minister Gary Anandasangaree requesting reforms such as introducing three-strike rules mandating pre-trial detention for repeat offenders along with restrictions concerning conditional sentences while removing bail access altogether for serious crimes.
Roskamp believes that this suspect should not have been granted bail initially, and he fully supports Ontario’s efforts toward bail reform accordingto his statements.
“There’s evidence here showing repeated criminal behavior chronicled over time. And that’s why we strongly feel individuals like these need tougher bail laws applied so they can be kept under custody,” he expressed further adding,“It shows reckless disregard towards everyone else’s lives here within our community.”LISTEN | St. Thomas police Chief on needforbailreform:
Aftenoon Drive7:43’Devastating’arsonin St. Thomashenews callsforbailreform
An allegedarsonoverlastweekendin St. Thomashasraisedconcernsfrom St. Thomas Police Chief Marc Roskamp. Hisfrustrationwiththecriminaljusticesystemcomesfromhowrepeatoffendersriskcommunitysafety.
Thebuilding, datingbackto1881wasnexttoapartmentsownedby Indwell, the non-profithousingorganizationwhichsaideveryonewasunharmed. Workerson-site told CBCNewson Mondaythatresidentswerequicklyevacuatedandtransferredtoahoteloutofabundanceofcautionwithsomeobservedsmokedamagebutthey’llbeabletoreturnhomeinthenearfuture.
Local Conservative MPAndrew Lawtonpointedoutpolicieswithinfederal Criminal Codeandbailsystempreventpoliceandjudgesfromkeepingrepeatoffendersoffthestreets.
Conservative MPAndrew Lawtonstateshewantstheliberalgovernmenttorepeal Bill C-5thatremovesmandatoryminimumsentencesfor14offencesinthe Criminal Codeandtoeliminatethe“principleofrestraint”from Bill C-75regardingthebailsystem.
“It isn’t only abouta building. It’speoplewhoinvesttheirlifesavingsintotheseprojectsandit’speoplewholivehereandruntheirbusinessesdirectlyaffectedbythis,”said Lawtonrecentlyappointedto Houseof Commonsjusticecommittee.
“Bailpoliciesthatpolicehavepointedoutarenotworkingarefederallawsso Iwantjudgestoknowtheyshouldn’thavehandstiedbybadlegislationthatprioritizescriminalrightsabovevictimneeds.”
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