VERNON – The man charged following a fire behind AJ’s Pets & Things in downtown Vernon last September has entered a guilty plea.
Ryan Patrick Warnock was charged with one count of arson damaging property and the case was scheduled to go to trial Thursday.
Instead his lawyer entered a guilty plea to the charge on his behalf and asked the judge for a pre-sentence report.
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The case is expected back in court in April.
The fire involved recycling that was set alight near the shop’s back door.
“The wood door, being a solid-core wood door, basically went up and it burned through the jamb,” said the shop’s owner, Andrew Willmott, after the blaze.
“I’d say another 20 minutes it probably would have been inside and that would have been it. The whole building would have gone.”
Willmott had security camera footage of the incident which also appears to show a Good Samaritan working to put out the fire.
“I think he probably saved the day, to be honest with you,” said Willmott last September.
Some smoke got inside the building, but none of the animals in the pet shop were hurt.
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