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Youth faces arson charge after fire at group home A 17-year-old Oakville teen is facing a charge of arson after a fire was set in a closet in the Heritage House group home at 1289 Heritage Way Tuesday night. Halton police said around 9:30 p.m., staff at the home, which houses troubled youths, discovered a fire burning in the closet of a second-storey room. "Initial attempts were made to extinguish the flames, but these were unsuccessful," said Det.Sgt. Anthony Odoardi. "The residence was then evacuated and the Oakville Fire Department attended to extinguish the fire." Police believe a roll of toilet paper was set on fire and placed inside the closet, causing the clothes inside to quickly ignite. They also believe the fire was set as part of a dispute between two residents. "This could have had `bad news' written all over it," said Odoardi, who pointed out the home houses six residents who are monitored by three staff. Oakville firefighters were able to contain the fire to the closet with damage to the house amounting to approximately $1,000. 7 · Thursday, March 22, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com AIM to Care for Your Heart! Gentle exercise for Adults in Motion www.ymcaofoakville.com Man charged with night prowling A 39-year-old Brantford man is facing multiple charges in connection with a series of nightprowling incidents including some that took place in Oakville. Halton police arrested Alan William Beales at around 6:30 a.m. Friday, following a five-year investigation into a night prowler operating in Halton, Hamilton, Peel, Brantford, Woodstock and other Golden Horseshoe regions. During this period, police said the prowler visited numerous townhouse complexes across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) where he peered into residents' homes in the late evening or early morning hours. While observing the residents in the townhouses, the prowler would emit sounds that are commonly associated with people engaging in sexual intercourse. On some of these occasions, victims confronted the prowler, who left the area after conversing with them. In December 2011, the prowler assaulted a uniformed Halton police officer while the officer was investigating a complaint about a night prowler at a townhouse complex in Burlington. The officer was struck in the head and received minor injuries. Beales has been charged with eight counts of criminal harassment, eight counts of mischief, eight counts of prowl by night, and one count of assaulting a peace officer. Halton police anticipate additional charges will be laid as members of the affected communities become aware of this investigation and arrest. Anyone with additional information can contact Det.-Sgt. Anthony Odoardi of the Halton Regional Police Service Oakville Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-878-5511, ext. 2215 or their local police station. No Membership Required! Did you know that you can participate in some YMCA programs without a membership? Why not try: · Camps for summer and school breaks · Fitness classes and running clinics · Swim lessons including private and semi-private Connect with us! · Parent and child programs · Arts, leadership and sports programs for children and youth · Aquatics leadership, first aid and CPR courses facebook.com/ YMCAOakville @YMCAOakville YMCA of Oakville 410 Rebecca Street, Oakville Tel: 905-845-3417 info@oakville.ymca.ca ymcaofoakville.com YMCA of Oakville Scan to see our video overview! Peter Gilgan Family YMCA Burlington FLOOR MODEL SALE % 50 UP TO OFF UNTIL MARCH 31ST THOMASVILLE BURLINGTON 2269 Fairview Street, Burlington Ph. 905-631-6000 SPECIAL FINANCING AVAILABLE Please see store for full details