Justin Beal, the man accused of setting six of the rural fires in Wellington County over the past year, appeared in a Guelph court Tuesday morning.
Beal, 28, dressed in work clothes and work boots, made a very brief appearance at the Ontario Court of Justice on Wyndham Street.
Lawyer Mayssia El-Ajami spoke on his behalf and said Beal was in the process of retaining her as his lawyer in the case and obtaining legal aid.
She already is representing him on an unrelated matter, she told the court.
She said she had received disclosure on the case from the Crown Attorney's office.
The matter was put over until Dec. 5.
Wellington County OPP and other agencies have been investigating roughly 30 suspicious fires, including a number set in abandoned or empty buildings, all in rural parts of the county.
Beal was arrested in Rockwood on Oct. 27 and charged with six counts of arson in relation to the following fires:
- Oct. 14, 2016 house fire at 5230 Third Line, Guelph/Eramosa
- Oct. 19, 2016 house fire at 5292 Third Line, Guelph/Eramosa
- Feb. 3, 2017 shed fire at 6873 Highway 7 Guelph/Eramosa
- Feb. 3, 2017 house and barn fire at 5413 Township Road 3, Guelph/Eramosa
- June 25, 2017 shed fire at 5324 Wellington Road 125, Erin
- June 25, 2017 house fire 8813 Sideroad 27, Erin
Police continue their investigation into the other fires.
