Explosion in Orleans: the suspect already accused of breaking and entering on another construction site

Kody Crosby faces a dozen charges in connection with the February 13 explosion. None of the charges have been proven in court.

The prime suspect in the Orleans explosion case had already been charged four years earlier with trespassing and causing damage at another Ottawa construction site, court documents show. consulted by CBC/Radio-Canada. However, those charges were dropped.

The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) announced Thursday that it has arrested and charged 35-year-old Kody Crosby in connection with the ;Explosion of February 13, which occurred in the new Avalon Vista neighborhood of Minto in the Orleans sector, located in the east of the city.

Four houses were destroyed and others were badly damaged. Four people were injured, including two workers.

Firefighters initially said a gas leak triggered the explosion.

Kody Crosby faces four counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm , six counts of arson against persons and property, and two counts of breaking and entering.

None of the current charges related to the explosion has been proven in court.

Kody Crosby has a criminal record that includes numerous prior charges of breaking and entering, theft, property damage and breach of probation, according to documents obtained by CBC/Radio-Canada.

Mr. Crosby has already pleaded guilty to some of these previous charges, including a series of business burglaries and the theft of a vehicle in April 2016. The sentence that was imposed in this case is not clear.

Several other charges against Kody Crosby have been dropped, including dozens of alleged felony charges in 2019.

Among those who were withdrawn in 2019, four involved an alleged break-in at the Blackstone yard of Mattamy Homes in Kanata.

Police suspected Mr. Crosby of breaking and entering two houses under construction in Rouncey Road, damaging the front doors of the houses and committing theft.

According to the court documents consulted, however, the reason for the withdrawal of the charges is not clearly determined.

Kody Crosby's lawyer, Natasha Calvinho, has refused to comment on Friday on these allegations against his client.

The suspect was also charged with breaking and entering a plumbing and heating business on Algoma Road on Christmas Day in 2018. This charge was also dropped.

Many things about Kody Crosby, including any potential connection to the Minto construction site before the explosion, remain unclear.

Staff Sergeant Cameron Graham of the OPS Arson Unit declined to say whether Mr. Crosby was at the Minto site when the explosion occurred or if he was injured, so as not to harm the integrity of the ongoing investigation.

Employees of the Ottawa Fire Department at work on the scene of the explosion in the Orleans area on February 13. (File photo)

Kody Crosby was not a Minto employee as far as we know, Graham said, noting that we need to dig deeper into this because there are a whole bunch of contractors involved.

< p class="e-p">Minto also declined to say whether Mr. Crosby was an employee, instead referring questions to the police.

CBC/Radio-Canada has Contacted more than a dozen contractors the Department of Labor says have been involved with Project Avalon Vista over the past five years. Six companies contacted said they did not know Kody Crosby.

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation by the Ontario Office of the Fire Marshal.

The OPS however took over as the primary law enforcement agency five days after the incident.

A study of the reconstructed debris has revealed criminal action [that] set off a chain of events that likely caused the explosion, Staff Sergeant Cameron Graham said.

With information from CBC News

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