The case of a Windsor woman charged with deliberately setting two fires at a Dresden animal sanctuary is finally moving forward again after a few hiccups and delays since she was charged three years ago.
The matter of Christine Rettig, 33, has been put over again until January 20, 2025, to set a date for resolution. Chatham-Kent Crown Attorney Rob MacDonald told the Superior Court of Justice in Chatham on Monday that the matter has been resolved for some time and is going back to the Ontario Court of Justice for resolution.
One of the fires at Charlotte’s Freedom Farm on Brook Line in Dresden on July 1, 2020, killed 22 animals, including a rescue dog from Texas, a miniature pony, five cats, and several ducks.
The $400,000 blaze also destroyed a barn and several pieces of equipment.
An empty trailer at the rear of the farm was also set on fire nearly a year later. No animals or humans were injured during that blaze. Damage was pegged at around $15,000.
Both fires were deemed suspicious.
Chatham-Kent police previously said the owner of the farm also received a threatening letter in the mailbox in October 2020.
Rettig is facing arson charges and charges of uttering threats.
A woman named Christine Rettig was identified as the farm's on-site caretaker following the fire in 2020 and was credited for being the first person to notice the fire and going into the barn to help several animals escape.
