On December 22, 2024, between approximately 6:00 p.m. and 1:20 a.m., Bracebridge OPP officers responded to multiple 9-1-1 calls from an individual at a motel located on Manitoba Street near Wellington Street North in Bracebridge.
The individual stated several concerns, however was uncooperative with attending officers, who found no evidence of the stated concerns. During the final 9-1-1 call at 1:22 a.m., officers discovered that 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, officers took 52-year-old Shane Jones of Gravenhurst into custody.
He has been charged with Arson, Mischief – destroy or damage property, and Public Mischief. He was held in custody for a bail hearing in the Ontario Court of Justice in Bracebridge on December 23, 2024.