Man pleads guilty in series of arsons in Vernon

VERNON, B.C. – A man from Vernon has pleaded guilty to arson just as his trial was about to start.

A jury trial was set to begin today, Oct. 1, for 56-year-old William Murray Phelps Munton, instead he pleaded guilty to seven counts of arson in B.C. Supreme Court.

The plea comes after a series of deliberately set fires in Vernon in 2014.

Dan McLaughlin, a spokesman for the B.C. Prosecution Service, says one of the fires Munton admitted to starting destroyed the grandstands at a former horse racing facility, while other fires were set in two homes under construction, on a boat and in a motorhome.

No one was injured in the fires.

Munton was arrested and charged in 2016 and he returns to court on Oct. 15 to fix a date for sentencing.

In a separate case, Munton was acquitted of child pornography charges after a judge ruled police did not obtain the evidence legally.

Find past iNFOnews.ca stories about William Munton here.

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Howard Alexander

Assistant Editor Howard Alexander comes to iNFOnews.ca from the broadcasting side of the media business.

Howard has been a reporter, news anchor, talk show host and news director, first in Saskatchewan and then the Okanagan.

He moved his family to Vernon in the 90s and is proud to call the Okanagan home.

If you have an event to share contact Howard at 250-309-5343or email halexander@infonews.ca.