N.S. arsonist released again to halfway house

A convicted arsonist is getting one more brief chance to live in the community before his prison sentence expires at the end of this month.

At a hearing earlier this week, the Parole Board of Canada revoked the statutory release of Adrian Thomas Hunt.

He was arrested late last year after probation officers learned he had resumed using drugs.

Hunt admitted to setting a fire in downtown Bridgewater, N.S., in October, 2017. A number of buildings were destroyed and several pets were killed, but no people were injured.

He was sentenced to five years in prison for the arson. He was released on day parole in December 2020.

He was arrested for breaking the terms of his release, but then released for a second time last February. He made it to last month before being arrested again.

In an interview with authorities on Dec. 15, 2023 that followed his arrest, he described his drug cravings as “unstoppable” and said he’d never felt an addiction this strong.

The parole board noted that Hunt consumed so much crack cocaine that he damaged his nose, so he switched to injecting drugs.

While the board revoked his statutory release, it is sending him back to a halfway house until the end of his sentence on Jan. 31.

While in the halfway house, Hunt must abide by conditions that include abstaining from drugs and alcohol and observing a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.