Winnipeg police lay charges in two separate arsons

A file image of the Winnipeg Police Service taken on Dec. 24, 2019. (Source: CTV News Winnipeg)

The Winnipeg Police Service has charged two people following two separate, unrelated fires.

One of the fires occurred Monday night in the 200 block of King Street, while the second occurred in June 2021.Both fires are considered arson.

According to Winnipeg Police, a man was in a parking lot in the 200 block of King Street and stole a jerrycan of gasoline from the box of a parked truck. The man allegedly poured gasoline over the outside of the truck, and then went to a nearby business where he poured gas onto the building and a garbage dumpster on the loading dock. Police said the man went back to the truck and stole from it, before returning to the dumpster and setting it on fire.

A person living nearby witnessed the incident and called police. A K9 Unit and AIR1 were called in, and a man was arrested in the 500 block of Main Street.

The fire in the dumpster was extinguished.

Thirty-five-year-old Darren William Alexander Perchak of Winnipeg has been charged arson causing property damage, theft under $5,000, and mischief under $5,000/obstructing enjoyment.

He was detained in custody. The charges against him have not been proven in court.

BOYD AVENUE ARSON

A 34-year-old woman from Winnipeg was arrested and charged Monday in connection with a fire at a home on Boyd Avenue last June.

The fire occurred in the 500 block of Boyd on June 2, and was considered suspicious. The police service’s Major Crime Unit started investigating the fire, and made an arrest in the William Whyte neighbourhood Monday morning.

Officers allege the suspect intentionally set fire to a multi-family home where her partner was residing. Two of the building’s residents were inside at the time of the fire, which caused approximately $60,000 in damage.

Deidre Carmel Bittern was charged with one count of arson with disregard for human life and was detained in custody. The charge has not been tested in court.