Man charged with setting multiple fires at West Virginia church
A man has been arrested and accused of setting multiple fires at a church in West Virginia.
The Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement Saturday regarding the arrest of Kevin Goodson, who is accused of setting multiple fires at Open Door Church in Shady Spring.
Goodson was charged with three counts of second-degree arson and one count of entry of a building other than a dwelling. He is being held on a $250,000 bond.
Deputy J.R. Quesenberry was dispatched to Open Door Church on Saturday in response “to a possible burglary not in progress” by an unknown suspect.
Goodson was eventually identified as the suspect, with local authorities determining that he had illegally entered the church and ignited multiple fires inside the building, leaving several handwritten notes.
Goodson later reached out to police investigators, reportedly confessing to the incident. He was then taken into custody.
Raleigh County Sheriff Frank Priddy and Chief Deputy Frankie Shelton commended Quesenberry “for his thorough investigation, swift identification of the suspect, and successful resolution of this case.”
The Christian Post reached out to the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office for more details on the investigation, with a spokesperson forwarding the request to an administrator. The article will be updated if a response is received.
According to a report from the Family Research Council released last August, there were more than 400 recorded acts of hostility against churches in the United States in 2024.
The 415 incidents against 383 churches in 2024 were lower than the 485 incidents identified in 2023 but remained well above the annual totals recorded for 2018 through 2022.
The FRC report noted that while “the motivations for many of these incidents remain unknown, the rise in crimes against churches is taking place in a context in which fewer Americans are attending religious services or identifying with a specific faith.”
“It is important to note that not all crimes against churches are motivated by hatred for Christianity. Some vandals appear to be motivated by financial gain through theft, while other culprits are teenagers engaging in a destructive pastime,” the report stated.
“However, there are still incidents that seem to be targeting church intentionally and with malicious intent. Regardless of the perpetrator’s motives, such crimes can leave churches in physical, financial, and emotional disarray. Some churches struggle to cover the costs of repairs and fear future offenses.”
