Woman sets fire to bush outside church, then runs away, North Carolina cops say
A woman was arrested after being accused of setting a fire at a church in North Carolina, police said.
Late at night on Tuesday, Oct. 8, a woman was spotted lighting a bush on fire on the property of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Elizabeth City, police said in a news release.
Elizabeth City police responded to the church on Ehringhaus Street around 11:25 p.m., according to the release. A witness at the scene told police they saw the woman take off after starting the fire, officers said.
The woman was then found a few blocks away from the church, police said.
Officers arrested the 64-year-old on charges of injury to real property and burning of churches and other religious buildings, according to the release. She was taken to Albemarle District Jail on a $10,000 bond.
At this time the woman’s motives are unknown, and the incident is being investigated, police said.
The woman is set to appear in court Oct. 10, according to the release.
Elizabeth City is about a 165 mile drive northeast from Raleigh.
According to a 2015 study by Pew Research Center, “fires caused by arson are far more common at houses of worship than in most other kinds of structures.”
An estimated 1,300 fires in places of worship were reported to fire departments in the U.S. from 2020 to 2022, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Intentional actions accounted for 15% of those fires.
This story was originally published October 9, 2024 at 2:26 PM with the headline "Woman sets fire to bush outside church, then runs away, North Carolina cops say."
