St. Thomas, ON – Sunday July 6th 2025
A 44 year old St. Thomas man, known to be a prolific offender has been arrested and charged after an early morning fire in the city’s downtown core was determined to be arson.
Just after 4 a.m. this morning 9-1-1 dispatchers began receiving multiple calls reporting that a building in the 600 block of Talbot Street was on fire.
With an immediate response, STPS closed the surrounding areas to traffic to allow the St. Thomas Fire Service to have access to contain the blaze.
An investigation into the cause of the fire, deemed it to be an act of arson.
Through investigation and review of CCTV cameras in the area, the accused was captured on security video breaching a door and entering the vacant building. He was then seen leaving and re-entering the structure before finally leaving the area, walking westbound down Talbot Street.
The accused was identified as 44 year old, Joseph Penfound of St. Thomas. He was located and arrested by front line patrol just after 9 a.m. this morning.
Penfound has been charged with:
- Arson
- Fail to Comply with Probation Order
- Possession of a Schedule 1 Substance
Penfound is well-known to police and currently has 13 charges before the courts which include five counts of Failure to Comply with Probation Order, Mischief, Uttering Threats, and False Alarm Fire.
He is currently bound by conditions of a probation order in relation to convictions of 14 charges including multiple Mischiefs, Arson, and Failure to Comply with Release Order.
As the result of a court appearance he has been remanded into custody. ST25011757
