Austin Redhead's case was spoken to Wednesday afternoon at provincial court in Prince Albert. (Prince Albert Provincial Court)

By Nigel Maxwell

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A man accused of setting two people he knew on fire as well as another person’s truck, will have to wait a few more days for a bail hearing.

Austin Redhead, 31, appeared by video when his case was discussed Wednesday afternoon at Prince Albert Provincial Court.

Since being arrested on Monday, he’s been housed on remand at the Correctional Centre, a provincial men’s jail in Prince Albert.

At least one member of Redhead’s own family was present for the brief hearing, along with multiple members of the victim’s family.

Late Monday afternoon around 5:18 p.m., police were contacted by the Prince Albert Fire Department (PAFD) about a vehicle on fire in the 600 Block of 18th Street West.

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Austin Redhead. (Submitted)

When officers arrived, they found one vehicle on fire and another with fire damage. It was soon after determined the fire was man-made and a description of the suspect was provided.

Minutes later, police received another report of a man smashing vehicles and attempting to light something on fire in the 900 Block of 14th Street West. This was not far from Queen Mary school.

By the time the officers arrived, the suspect had already fled the scene but not before attempting to set another vehicle on fire.

While being confronted by the people living in the nearby house, he then lit a gas can on fire and threw it at them.

Engulfed in flames, the man dropped to the ground and was able to extinguish the flames. Thanks to the cold weather the woman – who removed her shirt – was also able to get the fire out quickly and suffered only minor burns.

This aerosol can was left in the snow. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

Redhead, who later drove to the police station and turned himself in, is facing four counts of assault with a weapon, as well as three counts of arson, and failure to stop at the scene of an accident.

When paNOW spoke to one of the burn victims, they confirmed they were very shaken up over what happened and scared. In the house were three young children, and one of them called 9-1-1.

The couple also confirmed they had spoken with police earlier in the day about Austin and don’t feel they were taken seriously.

This was reiterated on Wednesday by a family member who spoke to paNOW outside the courthouse, adding they attempted to get a mental health check done on Redhead.

When paNOW reached out to police for comment, Easton Hamm, the organization’s Public Relations and Media Lead confirmed, there was prior involvement and that proper internal protocols were followed to ensure those initial concerns were being addressed.

“However, if a person feels their concerns were not taken seriously enough, they are welcome to send an email to the Chief of Police or contact the Saskatchewan Public Complaints Commission,” he said.

Wednesday’s court hearing had initially been scheduled for a bail hearing, however Crown Prosecutor Doug Howell informed Judge Lubyk that after speaking with the complainant that he felt more evidence was required before proceeding.

Howell also indicated more charges may be coming.

nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell