St. Thomas police chief frustrated with justice system, others lament loss of history after downtown fire

CTV News

07-07-2025

The aftermath of a fire at 616 Talbot St. in St. Thomas, seen on July 7, 2025. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)
St. Thomas's chief of police is calling for reforms to the criminal justice system. This comes as a repeat offender faces a charge of arson in a massive weekend fire.
Meantime, residents, businesses, and city officials are upset by the loss of an historic downtown building.
'It's a sad, big hole on Talbot Street,' commented city councillor and local historian Steve Peters.
A massive heap of rubble is all that remains of 616 Talbot St., creating a gap in the downtown. Peters said while many will remember the building as a hardware store in previous decades, it was actually an important piece of history on the Talbot streetscape.
'The building itself was constructed in 1881. Was known as the Acacia Block. For many years in the 1880s and into the 1890s, our first hospital was on the second floor of this building,' said Peters.
Susana Pereira owns a paralegal service located directly across from the building. She said she had begun to see construction in the building in recent months, before the fire destroyed everything on the site.
'I'm hoping that it's not going to negatively affect the downtown. I'm hoping that it'll get rebuilt, and it will fit in with the history that we have,' said Pereira.
ST. THOMAS ARSON
The aftermath of a fire at 616 Talbot St. in St. Thomas, seen on July 7, 2025. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)
Fire crews were called to the site around 4:00 a.m. Sunday.
About 25 firefighters were on scene, knocking the blaze down until late in the morning. Fire Prevention Officer Matt Rumas told CTV News crews had done a sweep of the building early on to make sure no one was inside.
Hours later, the entire front wall and upper floors of the building collapsed, with bricks and rubble cascading down onto the street.
Rumas said the age of the building made it susceptible to fire.
'This is built in 1881, so all the wood components and whatnot are very, very dry, so they're just ready for that spark, right? It was in the process of being brought up to current fire code. But because there was no drywall or any firestops within the actual building itself, it was just able to run loose,' said Rumas.
The upper floors of the building next door are operated by supportive housing non-profit, Indwell.
Twelve people have been temporarily displaced while structural engineers assess the damage. Indwell said in a statement that residents are unharmed.
St Thomas fire
A large fire ripped through the 600 block of Talbot Street in St. Thomas, Ont. early Sunday morning on July 6, 2025. (Source: St Thomas Fire)
According to police, 44-year-old Joseph Penfound of St. Thomas faces a charge of arson in connection to the fire. He's also charged with fail to comply with a probation order, and possession of a schedule 1 substance.
Police Chief Marc Roskamp expressed his frustration Monday, referring to the suspect as a 'prolific offender.'
He would not agree to an on-camera interview, but issued a statement, heaping criticism on the justice system's approach to bail for repeat offenders.
'The current bail approach continues to allow high-risk individuals to reoffend once released,' said Roskamp in his statement.
Joseph Penfound - st thomas police - fire - july 2025
Joseph Penfound, 44, is charged with arson in connection to a fire in downtown St. Thomas on July 6, 2025. (Source: St. Thomas police)
The statement also said Penfound was, 'out on bail for 13 criminal offences that date back to mid-2024, and a Probation Order that was subject to 14 criminal offences dating back to 2021.'
Elgin St. Thomas London South MP Andrew Lawson also issued a statement, saying in part, 'Failed Liberal government laws Bill C-5 and C-75 continue to allow for the catch and release of destructive violent criminals.'
The man accused of burning down a historic St. Thomas building on the weekend was a 'prolific' offender who was out on bail for more than a dozen charges. He was also on probation for another arson.
This has to stop. pic.twitter.com/oczoPBgEv2 — Andrew Lawton (@AndrewLawton) July 7, 2025
According to STPS, Penfound has appeared in court and remains in custody.