A photo taken at the time of the fire in December, 2018, (File photo/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

House fire

Man accused of arson released after Crown stays charge

Aug 26, 2019 | 5:00 PM

A man accused of lighting a house on fire has avoided trial, in large part because two key witnesses failed to cooperate.

Christopher Lavoie, 35, was charged with arson in connection to a house fire last December in the Rural Municipality of Garden River.

At a hearing on Monday at Prince Albert Provincial Court, it was expected a trial date would be set but instead the arson charge was stayed. Crown Prosecutor MaryAnne Larson explained to paNOW there was not a reasonable likelihood of conviction.

“Two civilian witnesses simply would not return our phone calls and just did not want to come,” she said.

Lavoie was sentenced on several other unrelated matters. He received a 90-day jail sentence for assaulting his father, and breaching his undertaking twice. Due to his time already spent in custody, Lavoie was released on Monday.

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“He actually had [spent] more time in custody than that but that was the appropriate sentence for the charges he pled guilty to,” Larson said.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell