Help catch an arsonist

BY WENDY ELLIOTT

Kings County Register

You could cash in on $2,000 for helping police catch arsonists at work in New Minas.

Arthur Watkins, chairman of Crimestoppers in the Annapolis Valley, calls the recent rash of fires an emergency.

Speaking at a press conference May 26, Watkins said an anonymous tip made to Crimestoppers can not lead to retaliation. “You do not have to go to court or talk to police. No questions are asked,” he said. The Crimestoppers number is 1-8000-222-8477.

Kings RCMP Cst. Les Kakonyi said, last summer, a senior citizen in New Minas saw two arsonists late one night but feared calling the authorities.

Deputy Fire Marshall Derwin Swinemar called on residents of the village to take responsibility for fire safety, and use any avenue to report suspicious activity.

There have been 10 cases of arson in the community this year. New Minas Fire Chief Jim Redmond added, last year, there were 25 suspicious fires and four during the fall of 2006.

Labour Minister Mark Parent, Kings North MLA, added a plea for the public to assist the police team investigating arson. He said he knows all agencies are working hard. “I am confident we will catch those responsible, and I encourage the public to help prevent any further property damage or loss of life.”

A strip mall on Crescent Ave. was destroyed by fire last May and, this past September, facilities at Lockhart Ryan Park were burned. The arsonists have been targeting dumpsters, storage bins and recycling materials.

Kakonyi could not say what leads the RCMP are investigating, but the number of tips comig in is encouraging. New Minas business leaders held a private meeting last week to discuss means of discouraging further arson.

Friday fires

Three fires set in New Minas May 23 kept firefighters hopping: • 10:35 p.m. - 50 firefighters called to Bonnyman Pontiac Ltd., Crescent Ave. The 10th arson call in the village this year. A fenced-in pen was set on fire, and flames spread to a nearby shed a large, two-storey garage, causing $5,000 in damages. • 10:39 p.m. - a trash bin was set ablaze in the middle of the yard at the provincial transportation depot, just down the street • 10:50 p.m., authorities called to a trash bin on fire behind Empire Theatres, the site of two previous fires