GRAVENHURST MAN FACES ARSON CHARGES AFTER FIRE SET IN BRACEBRIDGE MOTEL ROOM EARLY MONDAY

BRACEBRIDGE — A Gravenhurst man was in bail court yesterday after a motel at the north end of Manitoba Street was damaged by fire early Monday in what police are calling a case of arson.

The incident followed an evening of police presence after several 911 calls late Sunday night December 22, between 6 p.m. and 1:20 a.m..

They say officers responded to calls from an individual at the motel located on Manitoba Street near Wellington Street North.

The individual stated several concerns, however was uncooperative with attending officers, who found no evidence of the stated concerns.

During the final 911 call at 1:22 a.m., officers discovered there had been a fire lit inside the motel and the caller was refusing to leave his room.

After police were able to gain entry and extinguish the fire and ascertain that the individual was safe, they took 52-year-old Shane Jones, of Gravenhurst, into custody.

He has been charged with Arson CC 433(a), Mischief – destroy or damage property CC 430(1)(a) and Public Mischief CC 140(1)(c).

Jone was held in custody for a bail hearing in the Ontario Court of Justice in Bracebridge on December 23, 2024.

Police had to force their way into a motel room and put out a fire after a man called them multiple times Sunday night to make unsubstantiated claims, say police.