ST. LOUIS, Oct. 30 (UPI) — St. Louis authorities on Friday announced that they have arrested and charged a suspected arsonist who they believe is responsible for setting multiple city churches ablaze this month.
The suspect, David Lopez Jackson, 35, was formally charged Friday in two of the seven fires that were set in the north St. Louis area between Oct. 8 and Oct. 22. Officials said he is also a suspect in the remaining five blazes, but those cases remain under investigation.
Jackson faces two charges of second-degree arson for the blazes set at two churches on Oct. 17. He remains jailed on $75,000 bail.
“This arrest is the result of the hard work and dedication of the St. Louis Regional Bomb and Arson Unit, ATF, St. Louis Fire Department Fire Investigation Unit and multiple other agencies,” the St. Louis Police Department said in a Facebook post Friday. “Thank you to all involved!”
During a news conference Friday, St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said investigators linked evidence from the Oct. 17 fires to Jackson. A container of gasoline and a bottle that smelled of gas were also found in his car, Dotson added.
Jackson is also suspected of trying to set fire to a relative’s home in nearby Jennings, Mo., on Thursday, a source told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Authorities said they are still trying to determine a motive.
“We’re still trying to understand that,” Dotson said.
Officials previously said they believe the fires were set to send a message and they could ultimately constitute hate crimes. The fires, some of which did only minimal damage, also drew the attention of federal investigators.
The burned churches involve several denominations, though they are predominately black churches, officials said.
“We pray for the person who has done this. It seems to be mentally off balance behavior,” St. Louis Rev. Robert Gettinger said.
Authorities noted that Jackson has a criminal record with multiple prior convictions.
In 1998, he was convicted on two counts of receiving stolen property. Ten years later, he was arrested for second-degree assault — and was guilty of distributing a controlled substance, third-degree assault and resisting arrest the year after that.
In January, Jackson was tried in an unrelated case on a charge of first-degree property damage and assaulting a police officer, the Post-Dispatch reported Friday. A judge sentenced him to 120 days in jail, which he served from March through June, to be followed by four years of supervised probation.
