Man quits job, burns down workplace
Awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to
causing more than $1 million in damages
Daniel Campbell
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, February 5, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A former employee of a company specializing in fire and water damage repair is scheduled to be sentenced today after pleading guilty to setting a warehouse belonging to the firm on fire, causing more than $1 million in damages.
Andrew Joss, 23, was charged with arson and breaking and entering after he confessed to setting the Kam Lake warehouse on fire on July 24. The building belongs to Wilf's Renovations, a local contracting company.
According to an agreed statement of facts read into the court record Monday, Joss wandered into the Kam Lake area during a night of heavy drinking. He found himself outside Wilf's warehouse on Melville Drive - a place he worked for a few weeks the month before - and decided to go inside to search for money.
Once inside, for reasons unexplained by Joss, he lit a document from an office file cabinet on fire and ran from the building.
Guards at the nearby North Slave Correctional Centre apprehended Joss when they caught him running across
the grounds at 3 a.m. RCMP were called to the scene.
Officers found a lighter on him, but only managed to lay charges after Joss confessed to his actions.
According to his former employers at Wilf's, Joss left his job there unexpectedly in the summer, but on good terms.
Crown attorney Jennifer Bond called the act "careless and completely thoughtless," noting the fire did a "staggering" amount of damage to Wilf's.
The court heard five victim impact statements read into the record from the family members and owners of the business. They noted the damage to "irreplaceable" files and tools, as well as a loss of trust.
An office manager noted Joss still lists their business as a work reference and she has been receiving calls from employers Joss had applied to - even after his arrest for burning their business down.
According to court records, Joss was released from jail on Aug. 15 with terms to return for court appearances. He pleaded guilty on Nov. 5. The Crown withdrew a second charge of breaking and entering. Bond said they did not have enough evidence to prove Joss broke into the building, noting she was unsure if the doors to the business were locked.
Joss has no previous criminal record.
Bond asked the courts to impose a one-year jail sentence, followed by a year of probation. She also asked Joss be forced to pay back the damages not covered by insurance to Wilf's, which she calculated at $297,700.
Thomas Boyd, Joss' defence attorney, said his client was blacking out from drinking that night. He said Joss was "foolish and careless" but did not have a guilty mind. Boyd asked the courts to impose a six-to-12 month sentence.
Deputy judge Brian Bruser said he needed time to consider his sentence and adjourned his decision until this morning. Joss has been released on conditions until today.
