Shane Rucker, Church Arson, Idaho 2016

BOISE, Idaho – A shocking act of arson has left a small community reeling as a local man has been arrested for setting fire to a beloved church in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

Shane Rucker, 33, of Bonners Ferry, Idaho, was taken into custody today on a two-count federal indictment charging him with destruction of religious property and using a fire to damage or destroy religious property.

The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in Boise on February 15, 2017, alleges that Rucker set fire to St. Ann’s Catholic Church on April 21, 2016, because of the religious character of the property, in violation of the Church Arson Prevention Act.

The church was completely destroyed as a result of the fire, leaving the community in shock and sadness. The case is being investigated by a team of agencies, including the Bonners Ferry Police Department, the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office, the Idaho State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Boundary County Sheriff’s Office Fire Investigation Team, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Rucker will make his initial appearance tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. at the federal courthouse in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. If convicted of destroying the church because of its religious character, Rucker faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Using a fire to destroy the church carries a mandatory 10-year sentence that must run consecutive to any other sentence.

The case is being prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Wendy Olson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Traci Whelan of the District of Idaho and Trial Attorney Angie Cha of the Civil Rights Division.

Rucker is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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