Darcy Wheeler, 38, was arrested Wednesday. He was charged with seven counts of arson, two counts of indifference to human life and several counts of possession of a firearm. The Edmonton Police Department held a press conference on Thursday to brief the investigation. Commissioned Staff Sgt. Dave Graham said police realized they had a serial arson in their hands in August 2021. A team was formed to investigate the fires. Graham says they investigated more than 100 fires in the area in 2021 and 2022. They managed to link 44 to the arson investigation. “It simply came to our notice then. “Whether they were people of interest, or addresses, or owners, but we were able to connect them,” he said. Graham did not elaborate on other suspects in the case, but confirmed that more charges could be filed. “The investigation is ongoing, so we hope to get there with additional suspects, but we are just following the evidence at this point. “And at that point he led us to Darcy Wheeler, and that’s why we charged him now.” Graham confirmed that the person in the photos sent by the police in connection with the June 7 fires is Willier. He also spoke of the frustration of some in the community who have been waiting for charges for more than a year. “We know this is scary. Like the stories they told us, it’s awful. So this has been a high priority since it happened so far. And we did not stop working on it. “ “Investigations into arson are really complex, and in particular. It included a lot of sites, a lot of people of interest, limited data. “
COMMUNITY ANSWER
Dorothy Roberts lost her home in a deliberate fire on June 17, 2021. Police sent video footage of two people carrying gas canisters in her backyard before the fire broke out earlier this month in hopes of producing information. Investigators have not confirmed whether the fire that destroyed her home is the one that Willier has been blamed for. In fact, he says he has heard almost nothing from the police in the last year. “I spoke to a police officer on the day of the fire. We spoke with a detective a few weeks later, but he did not contact me or my partner. We had to find his business card from one of our neighbors. “And then we did not hear anything until the day the surveillance plans were released,” he told CTV News. Roberts said police received the watch video on the morning of the fire. He wants to know why it took them a year to release it to the public. “The house was a total loss. It was a 1913 house, one of the oldest houses in the neighborhood. “Ninety-nine percent of our existing ones were destroyed and our cats, Gordon and Buffy, did not survive.” She and her partner are in the process of rebuilding, but supply chain problems are slowing down the project. Meanwhile, she says her neighbors live in fear. “Every night, people hear fire engines passing by and think, ‘My God, could my house be next?’
ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATIONS CONTINUE
In addition to the arson investigation, Graham says the drug and gang police team conducted a parallel investigation, which led to the seizure of drugs and a weapon. “Yesterday they carried out search warrants and seized a significant amount of fentanyl, over a kilo, and a firearm,” he said. “This investigation is ongoing and further information will be provided by the Drugs and Gang Prosecution Unit at a later date.” Willier has a long criminal record, court records show. He has been convicted of not stopping a vehicle and avoiding an officer, as well as possessing stolen property worth more than $ 5,000. Graham also said Thursday that Wheeler is linked to Abdullah Shah, also known as Carmen Pervez. The infamous Edmonton owner was fatally shot earlier this year. The investigation into his death is still ongoing. Police have not linked Shah to the arson.
