St. Ann Church fire could be prosecuted federally
The suspected arson at St. Ann Church in Waynesburg could be prosecuted as a federal case, according to Waynesburg Police Chief Billy Nichols.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is looking at the case, due to it being a house of worship, Nichols said during Monday’s borough council meeting. He was confident the ATF will wind up handling it.
“The ATF is building their case to present to the U.S. attorney, but it’s looking strong,” he said.
Five fires were set over Labor Day weekend in the Waynesburg area. A suspect, Jesse Patterson, has been charged with intentionally setting two of them – the fire at St. Ann and another that destroyed a trailer on High Street.
Activities remain suspended at St. Ann Church, where a fire began near midnight Aug. 30 in a conference room near the church’s preschool.
Patterson is lodged in the Greene County jail and scheduled for a preliminary hearing Sept. 15.
Fires also occurred at Buddy’s Motel and porches on residences on High Street and Franklin Street. Nichols said the department, along with the state police and ATF, continue to investigate those fires, which police believe to be connected.
“We have a connection, but we don’t have evidence to make charges,” Nichols said after the meeting. “Obviously we can’t make charges, we can’t accuse … all three of us are still working.”
Police suspect those connections could extend to a sixth incident – a July fire at a house on Morris Street in Waynesburg. However, Nichols said, the fire marshal is declaring the cause of that fire to be undetermined, as he can not reassess the scene due to the level of structural damage to the house.