Ottawa RBC Bank fire bombing, three men appear in court

On June 18, 2010, the Ottawa Police Service arrested three Ottawa men regarding the May 18th arson fire at the RBC branch located at 745 Bank Street.

An extensive 30-day investigation led by that Ottawa Police Arson and Major Crime Units and supported by Ontario Provincial Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police found that the suspects had used a combination of an accelerant and an improvised explosive device to set the lobby of the bank ablaze. Damage to the bank was estimated at over $500,000.

The investigation also led to charges for another incident at the RBC bank located at 1535 Bank Street that occurred at approx. 4:00am on February 1, 2010 where two persons were observed damaging multiple windows and ATMs with rocks and a hammer.

This morning, the three men have been charged as follows:

Roger Clement 58 years old, of Ottawa
RBC Arson – 18th of May 2010
Arson Causing Damage
Possession of incendiary material
Use explosives with intent to cause property damage
Mischief
RBC Damage – 1st of February 2010
Mischief

Matthew Morgan – Brown 32 years old, of Ottawa
RBC Arson – 18th of May 2010
Arson Causing Damage
Possession of incendiary material
Use explosives with intent to cause property damage
Mischief

Claude Haridge, 50 years old, of Ottawa
RBC Arson – 18th of May 2010
Careless storage / handling of ammunition
Fail to comply with undertaking
RBC Damage – 1st of February 2010
Mischief

The three suspects are appearing at Show cause at the Ottawa Court House this morning.

“While I am very pleased to bring this portion of the RBC arson file to a close, I ask Ottawa residents to remain vigilant, before and during the G8-G-20, and continue to report any suspicious activity to police,” noted Chief Vern White, Ottawa Police Service.

Update: Saturday, June 19, 2010 11:55am

The three men have appeared in court this morning with the following outcomes:

· Roger Clement, 58 years old, of Ottawa, has been remanded into custody and will appear in court on Friday, June 25, 2010 (Court Room #3);

· Matthew Morgan–Brown, 32 years old, of Ottawa, has been remanded into custody and will appear in court on Monday, June 21, 2010 (video remand); and

· Claude Haridge, 50 years old, of Ottawa, has been remanded into custody and will appear in court on Monday, June 21, 2010 (video remand).