A Sudbury man has been charged with arson after the butane stove he was using to allegedly make cannabis oil exploded inside the motel room in which he was staying, said Greater Sudbury Police.
Shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 10, officers were called to the scene of a kitchen fire inside one of the units at the Richard Lake Motel.
During the initial investigation, officers and firefighters found evidence that the occupant was using a butane stove within the motel room when an explosion took place, blowing out the window of the room. The occupant was taken to hospital by City of Greater Sudbury Paramedic Services with serious, but non-life threatening injuries.
Officers found additional evidence that the occupant was attempting to make cannabis oil at the time of the explosion.
The motel suffered approximately $3,500 in damages as a result of the explosion.
Members of the GSPS Drug Enforcement Unit with assistance of the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office executed a Criminal Code Search Warrant on the room and recovered butane, an induction hot plate, as well as 22 vials of hash oil with a street value of $708, 61.51g of hash with street value of $1,230 and 217.81g of Cannabis with a street value of $2,178. The total value of drugs seized was $4,116.
On Jan. 12, the 51-year-old man was arrested and charged with the following offences in relation to the incident:
• Arson - Disregard for Human Life.
• Alter the Chemical or Physical Properties of Cannabis by the use of an Organic Solvent.
• Possession for the Purpose of Distribution
He was released on an Undertaking with a Court date of March 23.
