Arsonist gets more than 3 years in prison for fires that destroyed Napanee arena, garage

The former operator of a roller rink will spend more than three years in prison for setting a pair of fires that destroyed a home garage and much-loved community centre in Napanee, Ont., last year.

Jay Bradley, 50, pleaded guilty to two counts of arson and one count of criminal harassment in July.

On Friday, Justice Geoffrey Griffin sentenced Bradley to five years less time served. He's set to spend another three years and four months in custody.

A 1953 Pontiac sedan used by Bradley on the night of the fires, and the "gas cans" still in its trunk, will be auctioned off with the proceeds going to the victims, said the judge. Court heard the arsonist will be allowed to keep a photo of his father that's is currently in the vehicle.

Griffin described the fires as "some twisted act of vengeance," adding setting buildings ablaze under cover of darkness was "so, so dangerous that it boggles the mind," particularly given the community centre was in a residential area.

After reading out his decision, he urged Bradley to seek mental health treatment while serving his sentence.

"Anyone who could do something this evil and destructive has something, in my mind, wrong with them," said the judge.

Pain, fear lingered after fires

Court previously heard about the pain and fear that remained long after the fires in the early hours of Oct. 23, 2023, were extinguished.

Carol McKinley and her husband recounted waking up to an explosion that morning and running outside to find their detached garage on fire.

As they watched the flames, McKinley, who is  president of the Lennox Agricultural Society, said she received a call from a fellow board member who told her the Memorial Community Centre, which the organization owned, was also on fire.

"I am now afraid of the dark, scared of what is out there," she told court during an appearance on Nov. 1. "It has been 375 days of rising from the ashes, and many more to come."

Bradley ran a business called Disco Ball Events at the community centre, which was affectionately referred to by many in the community as the "Old Arena."

Court heard that following government shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, he was unable to pay for rent and his business failed.

Griffen quoted part of a pre-sentence report prepared following interviews with Bradley, which stated: "This writer believes the subject's narcissism, impulsivity, problem solving deficits and untreated anger led to a catastrophic meltdown."

Last week, Bradley appeared before a packed courtroom where 10 victim impact statements were read out. They included statements from the McKinleys and others who said the community centre had been the site of generations of memories, and more like a home than an arena.

Court heard from members of a pickleball group who had formed a "family" of sorts through the sport, and a representative of the Sea Cadets who lost uniforms and equipment to the fire.

Bradley has also been ordered to pay the McKinleys $8,500 in restitution, and to give $2,482 to the pickleball club to cover the cost of gear destroyed by the flames.

The judge described the arena as a place where many of Napanee's residents had learned to skate, met friends or romantic partners, and remembered watching kids and grandkids look up at the stands after scoring a goal.

"Mr. Bradley, by destroying that building, you destroyed a place of considerable historical, social and sentimental value," Griffin read from his decision.

Bradley took 'full ownership'

Bradley also addressed the court in a tearful and sometimes rambling speech in which he admitted the fire could have been much worse.

"It is selfish. I take full ownership," he said, but added he believes his actions weren't "necessarily revenge."

Asked by the judge what led him to set the fires, Bradley spoke about his past success in the IT industry and the depression he fell into after he lost his job.

"For somebody that was an underdog … to get where I was by hard work, I couldn't let it go," he said. "Carol McKinley was a symbol."

After the sentencing, McKinely told reporters outside court that it will take a while for her to feel at ease in her own home, "but we'll get there." 

She added she plans to continue working with the agricultural society.

Her husband George McKinley, said he didn't feel Bradley's apologies were heartfelt.

"I don't think he had much remorse," George said. "Hopefully he has lots of time to think about it."