A Mayerthorpe man who pleaded guilty to four counts of arson for setting a series of fires, including a blaze that burned down a CN rail trestle bridge, was handed a 24-month sentence on Thursday.
Lawson Schalm, 20, a former junior firefighter with the Mayerthorpe Fire Department, sat emotionless for much of the proceedings Thursday morning. His family was also in court to hear the sentence.
He was given three years’ probation and will serve 21 months after having spent three months in pre-trial custody.
READ MORE: Man charged in Mayerthorpe trestle bridge fire pleads guilty to 4 counts of arson
In an agreed statement of facts submitted to the court in March, Schalm admitted to setting the series of fires in 2016 “for the excitement of being called into the fire hall” and stated “that fires excite him.”
The judge said he took several aggravating factors into consideration, such as how Schalm was a firefighter, how the fires were set over 11 days and significant damage was caused, how there was a foreseeable risk of damage and how the fires continued after the CN trestle bridge.
But he noted there were mitigating factors such as a timely guilty plea, the lack of a criminal record, the strong family and community support and his low risk to re-offend.
In making his decision, the judge said the “gravity of the offence is very high” but it was important to note Schalm’s cognitive deficit and the actions he took.
Schalm is the son of former Mayerthorpe mayor Albert Schalm, who said he and his family are maintaining a positive outlook on the situation.
“My son has to pay a price. He’s a good kid, always been a good kid. I’m very proud of him,” he said. “He made some bad choices. Now he’ll pay the price for it.”
Albert said his son is focused on trying to move his life forward; the 20-year-old graduated from high school last Friday.
The father said the court case and trial have been difficult on the family. He believes the sentence was fair.
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“We’ll live with it because this is what it is. I believe Judge Gardner was very, very fair and very, very thorough. That’s all we asked for him to be.”
Schalm, who said his son cried on the way to the courthouse Thursday morning, said he appreciates how the town has handled the case.
“I’m going to give the town a lot of credit because they’ve been very, very patient. I’ve learned stuff from this whole incident personally. I’ve learned patience, because this has gone a long time. The biggest lesson I think I taught my son, or the town has taught me, is the power of forgiveness,” he said.
“This is a day we haven’t been looking forward to but, you know, it’s coming. We move on. When we have our son back and we have him in our house, we all move forward together.”
The Crown had recommended a five-year sentence minus three months for pre-trial custody, citing a significant breach of trust, the number of fires over a short period of time and the extent of the damage. The blazes in April 2016 forced firefighters, at one point, to respond to 17 fires in six days.
WATCH: Video captures a Mayerthorpe tressel bridge completely engulfed in flames.
The defence asked for 18 months behind bars and three years probation, saying Schalm has no criminal history, entered a guilty plea and that all the fires originated as grass fires.
Following the decision Thursday, defence lawyer Ed O’Neill called the sentence “very humane.”
O’Neill said the case was “a very difficult case because it’s a very sad case.”
READ MORE: Rail service to Mayerthorpe restored after massive trestle bridge fire
O’Neill previously said Schalm has significant cognitive deficits and a low IQ and had asked the judge to show compassion for a “nice, young man” who is on the road to rehabilitation.
Crown prosecutor Dallas Sopko said the sentencing decision will be reviewed.
“The decision and the reasons given by the judge and the cases he referred to — we’ll look at overall whether that’s a fit and proper sentence. Consultation will be done with other Crown prosecutors in our service,” he said.
Sopko said the arsons had a very large impact on the small town.
“From the victim impact statements, it’s clear there are members of the community that are still upset about what happened. Though, there are clearly members of his family and community that do support him,” he said.
“I think there should be some sense of ease for the community knowing that the person who had been going around committing these offences is now in custody, at least for a period of time, and will be seeking and receiving some treatment and counselling.”
READ MORE: What drives arsonists? Edmonton criminologist offers insight
A community impact statement submitted by the town CAO said the rash of fires left the small town feeling like it was under attack.
A letter submitted by Mayerthorpe Fire Chief Randy Schroeder said the arsons left firefighters running on vapours and worried about when and where the next fire would be.
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