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Arrests made in recycling centre arson

Four suspects have been arrested and charged this week in relation to the arson of the recycling centre in Fort St. James.
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A fire during the early morning hours on May 21 destroyed the Integris Recycling Centre built by the Greening Up Fort St. James Society.

Cole Goddard and three others have been arrested and charged in connection with the arson which destroyed the Integris Recycling Centre in Fort St. James last May.

Only Goddard can be named because he was 18 years old at the time of the incident, while the three others were minors when the fire took place.

Two of those charged had moved to Williams Lake since the fire, and were arrested with the help of the Williams Lake RCMP.

According to Staff Sargeant Thalhofer in Fort St. James, the arrests were the result of the investigation into the incident, and the video evidence secured from a nearby business was not a major factor in the arrests.

The four accused will appear in court in Fort St. James on Nov. 20 in Fort St. James and have been released with conditions after charges were laid.

The arrest and charges are "good for the community to have some closure," said Thalhofer.

The Greening Up Fort St. James' Integris Recycling Centre burned to the ground May 21 after years of work by the organization to have the facility built.

The financial loss from the fire has set GUF back as an organization, and the society has since been working hard to try and have the centre rebuilt.

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