Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 19, 1995 TAG: 9509190042
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The youth, who is not being identified because of his age, was not initially detained for his role in starting an April 22 fire that destroyed the old First Baptist Church in Gainsboro.
But in August - four weeks after Juvenile and Domestic Relations Judge John Ferguson ordered the boy to complete a fire safety course and warned him to stay out of trouble - he was charged with stealing tapes from a record store at Valley View Mall. He pleaded guilty Monday to petty larceny.
Defense attorney Tom Wray said it was "a combination of both" charges that prompted Ferguson to send the youth to Coyner Springs Juvenile Detention Center for 24 hours.
"I think with the additional charge, the judge decided to lock him up to get his attention," Wray said.
The 12-year-old was ordered to return to court Oct. 31 for a final disposition on both the arson and petty larceny charges.
Prosecutors have said the youth, who was 11 at the time of the fire, and his 16-year-old cousin "just wanted to see something burn" the day they decided to torch the Jefferson Street church, several blocks from the 16-year-old's home.
Using a smoldering cigarette and two wine bottles filled with gasoline, the two youths set a fire that quickly spread through the historic building.
The church, which has a newer building about a block away, has not decided whether it will attempt to rebuild from the ruins, which remain fenced off to keep people away from the charred walls and bell tower.
The 16-year-old, a youth with an extensive criminal record and described by prosecutors as the instigator of the fire, was sentenced to an indeterminate term in a state home for delinquent juveniles.
by CNB