Albert Schalm – former mayor of Mayerthorpe, Alberta – told CTV Edmonton that he is in total shock over his 19-year-old son Lawson Michael Schalm’s 18 arson related charges.
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‘Wherever this ends up, Lawson will always have a place at my table’. He will not throw his son under the bus and will do what he can to get him back on track. “[Schalm] started as a junior member at 15 and our cadet program emphasizes great community service [and] exists to cultivate the spirit of volunteering in the community”.
Although only the bridge was destroyed, its loss leaves a serious gap in rail infrastructure in the area, with a major impact on the oil and lumber industries, according to Mayerthorpe fire chief Randy Schroeder.
Global News has learned Schlam is the son of former Mayerthorpe Mayor Albert Schlam.
Police say no one was hurt in any of the suspicious fires, which began April 19.
“I try not to take it personally”.
“The dry conditions certainly made it concerning for us and a lot of the officers from Mayerthorpe were certainly focused on finding the person responsible”, said Franks.
Schroeder said firefighters worked over 12 hours to put out the railway bridge fire.
“We didn’t see this coming”, he said.
“At the height of this [past] week we were running calls an hour to an hour and a half apart”.
Thick black smoke emanating from the trestle bridge fire forced students at the nearby Mayerthorpe high school and residents of 38 mobile homes at the Kreek’s Krossing trailer park to evacuate.
Patrick described the family as a “well-respected and very nice family” and she urged the community to support them.
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Schalm has been held in custody since his arrest and will make his first court appearance in Stony Plain Provincial Court on May 4, 2016.
