By Heather Jensen Weekend Anchor/Reporter
News 3 On Your Side
It was an announcement unlike any other Monday in east Alabama ... the capture of two suspected church arsonists.News 3 On Your Side
Email to a Friend
Stumble It!“This is a day in which we're going to make an announcement of historical significance, I think, in Russell County and Lee County Alabama,” said Russell County Sheriff Tommy Boswell.
“There have been two individuals arrested by this multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force.”
21-year-old Geoffrey Parquette is accused of setting fire to three churches: Greater Peace and Goodwill Church in Crawford, Greater Bethelpore Baptist Church in Salem, and Woodland Baptist Church in Phenix City. Parquette's alleged arson spree started with the New Year.
21-year-old James Clark is an acquaintance of Parquette. He’s accused of helping him torch the Salem church. Why those churches were chosen is unclear.
“Let’s just say, they were targets of opportunity,” said Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones. “Bear in mind, these are rural areas not subject to a lot of observation.”
Investigators admit this isn't the first brush with the law for the pair. But this time, they're accused of leaving charred bibles, pews, and altars, and marring several church grounds with satanic messages.
“The motive in the case was 'the devil made me do it,'” said Jim Cavanaugh, the Federal Alcohol, Tobacoo, and Firearms Special Agent in charge. “But the cold hard fact is the devil couldn't keep these fellas out of jail.”
75 federal, state, and local investigators worked around the clock to make the arrests. But agencies were quick to give credit to the first responders - volunteer fire departments.
“(They) risked their safety to respond to the incidents and put these fires out, preserving a lot of the evidence we later recovered,” said Alabama State Fire Marshal Ed Paulk.
Those closest to the case say their work isn't over. They’ll continue to piece together what led these two suspects to destroy places of worship.
The work so far speaks for itself.
“The first call was on January first, and here we are one week later and it's solved,” said Colonel Chris Murphy, Alabama Public Safety Director.
Investigators believe Geoffrey Parquette is also responsible for vandalizing Concord Baptist Church in Salem on January 2. He faces charges of arson, burglary, and criminal mischief.
Parquette pleaded not guilty in court Monday morning. Bond was set at $200,000 dollars. He remains at the Russell County Jail.
James Clark has been transported to Lee County to face his charges of arson and burglary.
