British Columbia·NewThe man charged with arson in relation to a fire that destroyed a popular brewery in downtown Prince George, B.C., has pleaded not guilty.Richard Titchener, 57, remains in custodyHanna Petersen · CBC News · Posted: Sep 24, 2025 9:17 PM EDT | Last Updated: 13 minutes agoThe downtown location of CrossRoads Brewing & Distillery is pictured after being gutted by an early morning fire in Prince George, B.C., Sept. 5, 2025. (Nicole Oud/CBC)The man charged with arson in relation to a fire that destroyed a popular brewery in downtown Prince George, B.C., has pleaded not guilty. Richard Titchener, 57, appeared by video in Prince George Provincial Court Wednesday. He was arrested and charged with arson causing damage to property, after an early morning Sept. 5 fire destroyed CrossRoads Brewing and Distillery on George Street. Titchener entered a plea of not guilty and chose to be tried by a judge without a jury. He will appear in B.C. Supreme Court on Oct. 14 to set a date for trial. In mid-September, CrossRoads Brewing owners told city council they won’t rebuild without some major changes to the neighbourhood.The business has been a cornerstone of the city’s downtown since it opened in 2017. The fire forced CrossRoads to cancel its annual late-summer street festival, which was supposed to take place the following day. The event would have brought live music and games to the roads immediately surrounding the brewery. Following Titchener’s arrest, Prince George RCMP Cpl. Jennifer Cooper described him as a resident of the city who was well known to police.She says the arson investigation was aided by video surveillance footage shared by surrounding businesses. Titchener is not seeking bail and remains in custody.ABOUT THE AUTHORHanna Petersen is a reporter for CBC News, working out of the Prince George, B.C., bureau. You can email her at hanna.petersen@cbc.ca.
Man pleads not guilty following alleged Prince George, B.C., brewery arson
