Man charged with arson at Inverarden House

In this September 2019, file photo, the historic Inverarden House on Montreal Road in Cornwall, Ont. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)

CORNWALL – A Cornwall man is accused of setting a fire on the front porch of Inverarden House in the city’s east end.

Cornwall firefighters were dispatched to the mothballed historic building at 3350 Montreal Road around 9 p.m. last night (Thursday, May 21).

A tire had been set on fire on the front porch, which firefighters were able to extinguish. There was minimal damage to the building.

They also came upon a person on the scene who tried to leave the area, walking down Montreal Road, before Cornwall police got to the location a few minutes later, making an arrest.

David Schulte, 30, is charged with arson and breach of probation for failing to keep the peace.

Schulte has a criminal record after several run-ins with city police.

He was arrested in January 2019 for allegedly threatening to kill employees at a Cornwall organization, then again in April 2019 for failing to abide by his bail reporting conditions. He was arrested a third time in August 2019 for allegedly having a laptop computer when he wasn’t allowed under court conditions.

Schulte will appear in a Cornwall court on July 28 to answer to this latest charge of arson.

Inverarden House was built in 1816 and is described as a “fine early example of Regency architecture.” It was built for retired fur trader John McDonald.