Accused man was at London townhouse prior to explosion, say witnesses

Firefighters on scene of an explosion in a townhouse on Southdale Road in London Ontario on Friday, August 15, 2014. (DEREK RUTTAN, The London Free Press)

People who witnessed the spectacular explosion of a south London townhouse in 2014 testified Tuesday that a man resembling Reuben Garcia was at the scene shortly before the incident.

Garcia, 29, has pleaded not guilty to arson and drug trafficking charges in relation to the blast and fire that was blamed on butane used for marijuana resin production in the home. No one was injured but the damage eventually resulted in the demolition of five townhouses.

The townhouse in a public housing complex on Southdale Road was rented by Maureen Vilbar who moved to Guelph for the summer of 2014 but had left keys with Garcia, a friend and distant cousin.

On Monday Vilbar testified that Garcia had called her on Aug. 15, just hours before the blast and told he had cleaned rotten food out of her refrigerator.

Vilbar’s testimony was supported by witnesses who were in the area at the time.

Denise Dowd, who live in a nearby townhouse, and Ronald Maclean, who was visiting a friend, said they saw a man cleaning the refrigerator crisper drawers on the front lawn of the townhouse shortly before the explosion. Dowd identified Garcia as the man she saw while Maclean said he resembled the man but did not specifically identify him.

Robert Lounsbury, who was visiting a friend in the complex, said he witnessed the explosion and saw a man run out the front door with his hair on fire.

That also supported Vilbar’s testimony on Monday. She said Garcia called her to say the house had caught fire and his friend was burned.

Another neighbour, Ashley Snake, the final witness for the prosecution, said she saw a man resembling Garcia and another man arrived in an SUV that day and carry some heavy grocery bags and a cylinder into the townhouse.

Garcia’s lawyer Aaron Prevost challenged Vilbar’s testimony suggesting Garcia’s phone call about the refrigerator was made weeks before the explosion.

He also challenged the testimony of the witnesses on Tuesday, pointing out Dowd did not identify Garcia in the preliminary hearing and Snake mistakenly identified a co-accused man, Mustafa Eldogdog, as Garcia.

Eldogdog, 27, faced similar charges in the incident. In January Crown prosecutors dropped arson charges against Eldogdog and he pleaded guilty to five counts of possessing marijuana and marijuana resin for trafficking.

The trial is expected to conclude Wednesday with Garcia testifying in his own defence.