Alliance man pleads guilty to trying to burn down Geauga County church

Tim Botos, Canton Repository
·2 min read
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Aimenn Penny, 20, of Alliance, center looking left, was identified as participating March 11 in a protest in Wadsworth. Penny now faces federal charges that he particpated in firebombing a Geauga County church on March 25, ahead of a drag show event.
Aimenn Penny, 20, of Alliance, center looking left, was identified as participating March 11 in a protest in Wadsworth. Penny now faces federal charges that he particpated in firebombing a Geauga County church on March 25, ahead of a drag show event.

CLEVELAND ‒ An Alliance man pleaded guilty to arson and obstruction charges in federal court Monday afternoon for trying to set fire to a Geauga County church earlier this year.

Aimenn Penny, 20, a member of White Lives Matter, told investigators he wanted to protect children from drag shows being held there the following week.

Penny had faced four charges in all ― obstruction of person in the free exercise of religious beliefs, two counts of arson, and receiving or possessing a destructive device. The other two charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

He is facing 10 years in prison on the arson charge and up to 20 years on the obstruction charge, according to the plea agreement.

He will return to federal court to be sentenced on Jan. 29 by U.S. District Judge Bridget Meehan Brennan.

Penny made no comment in court.

Penny had admitted to tossing a pair of gasoline-filled bottles ― commonly called Molotov cocktails ― at the Community Church of Chesterland on March 25. Fire damage was limited to scorch marks on a door and sign, according to court records.

"Penny stated that he would have felt better if the Molotov cocktails were more effective and burned the entire church to the ground," an FBI agent wrote in an initial complaint upon Penny's March 31 arrest.

The agent noted White Lives Matter is a group with "racist, pro-Nazi, and homophobic views," and that it wasn't the first time Penny had publicly championed their causes:

  • Two weeks prior, Penny was among those who protested a drag queen event in Wadsworth. Group members showed up at the event carrying swastika flags and shouting racial and homophobic slurs and 'Heil Hitler.'

  • In October 2022, Alliance police said Penny placed racist flyers on their cruisers and on other vehicles throughout the city. He told them he was spreading the word and that he looked forward to a racial civil war.

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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Alliance man pleads guilty to trying to burn down Geauga County church