A Vernon man who pleaded guilty to seven counts of arson will have to wait for the new year — almost five years after the string of fires began — for sentencing.
Defence Julian van der Walle — who appeared as counsel and agent for William Murray Phelps Munton in Vernon Law Courts Monday, Oct. 15 — said that crown and defence have come to a resolution in the matter. A sentencing hearing that is scheduled for a half day will be set during the week of Jan. 21, 2019.
Munton, born 1961, pleaded guilty to seven of 19 charges in relation to a string of fires from May to November 2014, including one that burned down the historic grandstand at Kin Race Track, at his Oct. 1 appearance in which a three-week trial with a jury was scheduled to begin.
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Other properties damaged by fire during that time period include a pair of boats, two motorhomes, two vehicles, a duplex under construction, a recycling bin, wooden pallets and fruit boxes.
Munton, a former teacher in Salmon Arm, is released on bail.
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parker.crook@vernonmorningstar.com
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