Two men who once attended church together were charged Sunday with intentionally burning down a church in east Texas and are suspected in a string of similar blazes, authorities said.
Jason Robert Bourque, 19, and 21-year-old Daniel George McAllister face one count of felony arson for a church fire in rural Smith County near Tyler, about 90 miles east of Dallas, said Tom Crowley, spokesman for ATFE (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives).
Bond is set at $10 million apiece. They could face life in prison if convicted.
“Because they are charged with one doesn’t mean they’re not going to be charged with some of the others,” Crowley said.
Crowley and Smith County jail officials said they had no information on attorneys for either men.
Bourque, of nearby Lindale, was arrested early Sunday in Van Zandt County, site of four of 10 church fires in east Texas this year that authorities believe were intentionally set, Crowley said.
McAllister was taken into custody in San Antonio, where Crowley said he had recently moved.
He said Bourque and McAllister used to attend First Baptist Church in McAllister’s hometown of Ben Wheeler.
Officials declined to discuss a motive at a news conference Sunday. No injuries have been reported in the fires.
READ MORE:
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2010/February/Two-Charged-in-Texas-Church-Fires/
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