Charges have been filed against a Raymore, Missouri man related to a 2020 arson fire that damaged a historic Johnson County Church.
Last Monday, Johnson County Prosecuting Attorney Robert W. Russell charged 36-year-old Scott Gregory Taylor, accused of burning Harmony Baptist Church to the ground in rural Leeton, July 2020.
Taylor stands accused of one count of second-degree arson. Currently housed in the Jackson County jail on a $25,000 cash bond, he was nabbed Monday by Kansas City police.
Late on Sunday, July 5, 2020, the Johnson County Fire Protection District rushed to Harmony Baptist Church following a neighbor’s observation of the almost 100-year-old church ablaze.
The church has now been shuttered and destroyed; it was unable to be preserved.
Arson proved to be the source and cause of the fire.
Additional research revealed security camera footage taken from the church displaying a guy igniting the building where investigators had concluded the fire started.
The fire district and Missouri State Fire Marshal declared back in July a fresh initiative to solve the arson case and invited anyone with knowledge to come forward.
“A loss of a landmark and place of worship is always difficult for a small community and this fire had a deep impact on the area,” Fire Chief Larry Jennings said. “We are glad to see an arrest concerning this terrible fire.”
Jennings then said they value the help they get from community members and advise anyone else who might have more information to call the Missouri Arson Hotline at 1-800-392-7766.
Source: Fox4KC on Yahoo! News
