The King Street Arsonist is getting day parole.
Adrian Hunt, originally from Greenfield, has been granted six months of conditional release after serving almost two of his five year prison sentence.
The Parole Board of Canada said Hunt wasn’t deemed a threat to the public while on day parole, and stated he had made satisfactory progress on his correctional plan.
Hunt was charged with arson after it was found he was responsible for a fire on Bridgewater’s King Street on October 22, 2017 which destroyed seven businesses, three apartments and damaged a neighboring restaurant.
He was arrested in January 2018 after being identified by multiple people as the figure shown in security footage walking away from the business where the fire started.
In their decision, the PBC declined full parole for Hunt, who suggested he would stay at a home owned by close friends. The board said the suggested residence would not provide the adequate supervision he needs.
They also said his willingness to bend the rules in his favour was a deterring factor for full parole.
According to the board, hunt had been caught smoking while in prison, which is not allowed, and was not forthcoming with information on the offence he was arrested for.
The board noted Hunt’s refusal to discuss his reasoning to setting the fire, stating his answer of being “black out drunk” didn’t match what he had said on earlier dates.
“This stands in contrast to the comments you made to the sentencing judge and elsewhere in your file,” said in the decision, “Which suggest that there may have been bigger issues at play and that you may have set the fire at the behest of another party.”
However they said day parole will allow him to reintegrate into society while being monitored – He will reside in a halfway house in an area he is unfamiliar with when bed space is available, and will be under supervision.
Hunt will also need to follow strict restrictions, such as avoiding alcohol and drugs, not contacting any victims of the fire, nor contacting anyone he may know or believe is involved in criminal activity.
