Douglas man indicted in arson case involving 2 progressive Tucson churches
A federal grand jury returned a six-count superseding indictment against a man in Tucson on Thursday, according to The United States Attorney's Office District of Arizona.
The DA said that the indictment alleged that Eric Ridenour, 58, burned down Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church and First Presbyterian Church, both located on Church Square in Douglas, around two hours southeast of Tucson.
The indictment mentioned that further investigation and evidence, including court testimony, alleged that Ridenour intentionally started the fires in both churches due to his hostility toward the churches' progressive doctrines. Specifically, he objected to their practice of having women and members of the LGBTQ community serve as church leaders, as stated by the DA in the news release.
According to the DA, Ridenour was arrested on May 23 and charged by complaint with maliciously damaging or destroying both buildings by means of fire, in violation of the United States Code. On June 22, he was indicted on two counts of these charges.
The DA stated that a conviction for arson of property used in interstate commerce and obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs by fire both carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
A conviction of using fire to commit a federal crime carries a 10-year penalty, with a second conviction being an additional 10 years. Any conviction under this charge will run consecutively to any other conviction, according to the DA.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Douglas man indicted in arson case involving 2 Tucson churches
