Battersea man charged with arson after fire

Jeff Green | Jun 24, 2021

On June 22, 2021, shortly after 9:00p.m., officers attended a structure fire at the general store/ apartment building on Battersea Road in Battersea and have now charged a person in relation to this event. 

When officers arrived at the building the residential part was on fire. Nearby residents alerted the occupants of the fire and they were able to exit the building safely with no injuries. South Frontenac Firefighters extinguished the fire minimizing the damage to a small portion of the building.  

The Frontenac OPP have now charged Michael Garfield Ball, age 56 of Battersea, with the following Criminal Code (CC) offences:

• Arson - damage to property section CC sec. 434
• Arson - disregard for human life section CC sec. 433(a)

The accused was released to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Kingston on July 29, 2021. 

Any person with information regarding this investigation should contact the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122.