Man broke into Burleson church and tried to burn it down, police say
Burleson police have arrested a man they say broke into a church and attempted to set it on fire on Monday, according to a social media post.
Officers responded to the Boulevard Baptist Church after receiving reports of a break-in at around 9:40 a.m., according to the post on Facebook. Immediately after arriving, officers noticed the smell of smoke.
Police found the man, identified as Rafael Rodriguez Jr., barricaded in a room at the church. Rodriguez complied with officers’ demands and exited the room.
When officers entered the room where Rodriguez had been barricaded, they found it “in disarray” and identified two spots where it appeared Rodriguez had tried to start a fire, police said.
Further investigation found that Rodriguez had fled the scene of a crash earlier that morning, according to the post.
The vehicle Rodriguez was driving was later reported stolen out of Midland, police said.
Rodriguez was arrested and taken to the Johnson County Jail, according to the post, and faces charges of arson of a place of worship, burglary of a building, theft of property and collision involving damage.
