Accused in hotel fire missing again
By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on June 6, 2024.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com
A 30-year-old man who disappeared for several months after he was charged with setting fire to the historic Lethbridge Hotel early last year, is missing again.
Following his disappearance in 2023, Michael Randall Big Swan was eventually arrested and brought back to court earlier this year, when his matters were once again adjourned. He was scheduled for a court hearing this week, but he failed to show up.
Despite the no-show, the judge decided to give him one more chance to attend, and issued a warrant, but agreed to hold it until June 14. If Big Swan fails to attend court, the warrant will be released.
Big Swan faces one charge of shopbreaking and commit arson relating to a fire Feb. 24, 2023 that destroyed the Lethbridge Hotel on the corner of 5 Street and 2 Avenue South downtown. Following an investigation and remediation of material because of asbestos contamination, investigators determined the fire had been deliberately set. The site has since been cleared.
Police subsequently identified a suspect, and several weeks later, on April 6, Big Swan was arrested without incident and charged.
Less than a month before the hotel fire, a fire destroyed the historic Bow On Tong building just a block west of the hotel. What remained of the building had to be demolished before investigators could safely do their job, and because of the extensive damage the cause of the fire could not be determined.
Police suspected the Bow On Tong fire was also deliberately set and they identified a person of interest, but there was insufficient evidence to lay criminal charges. There isn’t any evidence to suggest the two fires were connected, police said.
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Many among us downtown were impacted by this fire and want justice for our losses. This individual clearly has no regard for anything including the courts.
Where is he and what number of fires has he started in the communities he is stowing away in?
A piece of local history was obliterated in this fire. This was not a shed that was set on fire, it was a large structure and it was a miracle no one died!