A garage and two vehicles were destroyed as a result of a fire May 31, 2020, in the 800 block of 17th St. W. (Facebook/ Devin Dubois)

By Nigel Maxwell

Court proceedings

Arsonist ordered to pay $36K in restitution

Feb 7, 2021 | 12:00 PM

The man responsible for setting a number of fires in Prince Albert’s west flat neighbourhood last spring has been ordered by a judge to pay $36,600 in restitution.

Jared Custer, 24, received a 15-month jail sentence last December for his crimes, but a separate hearing was held on Jan. 26th to discuss the restitution amount. The amount will be paid to the court, which will in turn divide the money up among the impacted residents.

While there was no plan discussed for how exactly Custer will pay the money to the court, he was given a three-year timeline. If after that time he has not paid the fine, the case can be brought back to court and reviewed.

The incidents occurred between May 18 and June 10 and involved vacant homes, sheds, detached garages, and vehicles. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Two of the fires were set on the same day at vacant structures in the 900 block of 18th St. W

At the time of the sentencing hearing, Legal aid lawyer Jock Kriegler explained Custer was suffering from depression at the time of the incidents, brought on by a recent breakup and an inability to find work. Kriegler also said Custer was using crystal meth as a means to escape reality at the time.

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“The reality he was in was dark and depressing,” Kriegler said.

Prior to the fires last spring, Kriegler explained Custer had no prior “firebug behavior” but added Custer was suffering from hallucinations. When given the opportunity to speak in court, Custer apologized for the damage and emotional pain he caused.

“I’m remorseful and I regret doing those things,” he said.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell