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CHATHAM – A Chatham woman charged after a fire displaced dozens of tenants from a municipal housing complex has been granted bail with strict conditions of house arrest.
Erin Ashley Ott, 31, was granted bail following a more than two-hour bail hearing in Chatham court. She is charged with arson with disregard for human life in connection with an early morning fire at a 120-unit apartment building at 99 McNaughton Ave. W. in Chatham on Aug. 25.
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A publication ban remains in place on evidence heard during the pre-trial stage of the case.
Justice of the peace Calvin Hurst granted Ott bail. A relative is serving as a surety with whom Ott will be living while released. Bail was set at $3,500, to be paid if Ott fails to abide by the conditions of her release order, including failing to attend court.
Hurst ordered Ott not be released from custody until a 24-hour GPS ankle monitoring system was installed and made operational.
Conditions of Ott’s release includes residing at her surety’s home and remaining inside at all times, except for the purpose of attending court, pre-arranged meetings with legal counsel or medical emergencies involving either her or members of her immediate family.
Ott also can only leave the home if in the presence of her surety, which even includes standing outside the home to have a cigarette.
Ott is not to have any communications with co-accused Leonard Greason, 48, who remains at large, along with a number of people who were displaced by the apartment fire.
She is prohibited from possessing any drugs, except prescribed medication in her name, along with weapons as well as any incendiary devices.
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Ott and Greason were charged after a probe of the fire by Chatham-Kent police, Chatham-Kent fire officials and the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office.
Firefighters were alerted on Aug. 25 about 6 a.m. by the building’s fire alarm system and several 911 calls, Chatham-Kent fire Chief Chris Case previously said.
“When (firefighters) arrived . . . they found quite a developed fire breaking through the roof,” Case said.
Some residents were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, but no one was taken to hospital, he said.
The blaze affected 90 of the 120 units and it is expected to take several months of repairs before most residents can return. But Chatham-Kent officials recently indicated some residents may be able to move back into units located farthest from the worst of the fire damage in mid-November
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