A 20-year-old Morley man pleaded guilty to two charges involving a fire that significantly damaged the Morley Recreation Centre in July.
A 20-year-old Morley man pleaded guilty to two charges involving a fire that significantly damaged the Morley Recreation Centre in July.
Conroy Poucette, 20, pleaded guilty to break and enter to commit the indictable offence of arson, and to being unlawfully in a dwelling house, according to a Cochrane RCMP report.
Two counts of arson charges against Poucette have been withdrawn.
Poucette was handed the suspended sentence with 18 months probation and a $200 fine on Tuesday (Nov. 3) in Cochrane Provincial Court.
On Oct. 27, Poucette pleaded not guilty to the charges and had a trial date set for April 2016. However, that becomes void in light of the Nov. 3 guilty plea.
On July 12, emergency crews responded to a fire complaint in the early morning at the Morley Recreation Centre. The building endured significant damage before firefighters were able to stop the spread of the blaze.
An hour later, crews responded to a grassfire at the Bearspaw Flood Relief camp. Firefighters contained the fire before it spread. The following day Cochrane RCMP charged two men.
The second man charged for his alleged role in the arson, Tylen Poucette, 19, is set to appear in Cochrane Provincial Court on Nov. 10, 2015 for election and plea.
