A man accused of setting a string of arsons has pleaded guilty to some of the charges.
Jury selection was expected to begin for the trial of 57-year-old William Munton on Monday morning but was cancelled.
Instead, Munton, who was facing 19 charges of arson damaging property, pleaded guilty to seven of them.
In Supreme Court, Munton took responsibility for seven blazes in the Vernon area between June and October of 2014, including the infamous Kin Racetrack fire which destroyed the grandstands at the facility.
The City of Vernon received $800,000 in insurance compensation following the grandstand fire.
Other targets include buildings under construction, a boat, a motorhome, a minivan and a large fruit box fire that caused an estimated $100,000 in damages.
Before the last-minute guilty plea, Munton’s trial by judge and jury was expected to last for weeks.
The case has been put over until Oct. 15 to fix a date for sentencing.
Munton is not in custody. He wouldn’t comment on the case while leaving the Vernon courthouse on Monday morning after entering his pleas.
The former school teacher was arrested in June of 2016 after a two year police investigation.
–with files from Doris Bregolisse
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