Merritt RCMP arrested a 37-year-old local man on Jan. 17 and are recommending four charges of arson in relation to recent church fires in the Nicola Valley.

“We had some evidence and were able to obtain a search warrant for further evidence,” RCMP Const. Tracy Dunsmore told the Herald. “We executed that search warrant yesterday afternoon and were able to obtain evidence that we were looking for and, as a result, made an arrest.”

When asked if RCMP are considering the crimes hate-related, Dunsmore said RCMP are only recommending charges of arson for right now.

“We are not looking at hate crime yet,” she said.

The suspect is currently in custody and is expected in court in Kamloops this afternoon.



The case is still under investigation and the suspect’s name has not been made public.

More to come…