Tag: Arson
Clinton Nathaniel Johnson, Arson, Louisiana 2025
⏱ 2 min read Clinton Nathaniel Johnson, a 37-year-old Leesville resident, recklessly set 19 wildfires in Kisatchie National Forest between May and July 2025, threatening lives and property. Evidence showed the fires burned over 260 acres, with three separate blazes consuming 150 acres, 75 acres, and 35 acres. Thanks to swift and coordinated efforts of…
Chamel Abdulkarim, Arson, California 2023
⏱ 2 min read Chamel Abdulkarim, a 29-year-old San Bernardino County man, has been charged with deliberately setting fires that destroyed a 1.2 million-square-foot warehouse in Ontario, California, causing approximately $500 million in damage. The arson occurred on April 7, and Abdulkarim was arrested on Tuesday. According to an affidavit, Abdulkarim filmed himself setting the…
Firomsa Ahmed Umar, Arson, Attempted Arson, Possession of Unregistered Destructive Device, Minnesota 2025
⏱ 3 min read A 31-year-old Minnesota man has been convicted of throwing Molotov Cocktails at a Minneapolis café that proudly displayed a Pride flag. Firomsa Ahmed Umar was found guilty of arson and attempted arson, possession of an unregistered destructive device, and attempted arson after two brazen attacks on Fletcher’s Ice Cream & Café.…
Luke Andrew Westefeld, Arson, South Carolina 2024
⏱ 2 min read A South Carolina man’s twisted torching of a Byron church will land him in the slammer for up to 20 years. Luke Andrew Westefeld, 34, pleaded guilty to maliciously setting fire to the Byron United Methodist Church on August 20, 2024. Westefeld asked for water from churchgoers in the parking lot…
Anthony Dillon Jr. and James Dale Smith IV, Arson, Louisiana 2026
⏱ 2 min read Anthony Dillon, Jr., 19, and James Dale Smith IV, 21, of Columbia, Louisiana, have been charged with arson for burning down the only Catholic church in Caldwell Parish. The incident occurred on March 27, 2026, just before Holy Week, after the church disrupted the men’s electricity theft and they were confronted…
Michael Austin Ford, Arson by Incendiary Device, Utah 2023
⏱ 2 min read A former Utah school bus driver, Michael Austin Ford, 60, of West Valley City, intentionally set a school bus on fire with a cigarette lighter while driving it in Salt Lake City on April 7, 2023. Ford was caught on video igniting the bus and continued to drive with smoke billowing…
Dante D. Bracey, Jr., Arson and Cyberstalking, Wisconsin 2026
⏱ 2 min read Dante D. Bracey, Jr., a 35-year-old Milwaukee man, has been indicted on federal charges for allegedly setting fire to a multi-unit residential apartment building in Milwaukee on January 10, 2026. The arson attack is linked to domestic violence, and Bracey is also accused of cyberstalking, causing the adult victim to fear…
Philip J. Buyno, Attempted Arson, Illinois 2023
Discover the disturbing case of a Central Illinois man who pleaded guilty to trying to burn down a reproductive health clinic. Learn more here.
Benjamin Ruckel, Arson, Ohio 2021
Ohio man pleads guilty to setting fire to a church, targeting it for its religious significance. Faces up to 20 years imprisonment. Importance of protecting houses of worship emphasized.
Tyler W. Massengill, Arson, Illinois 2023
Illinois man sentenced to 10 years in prison for arson of Planned Parenthood Health Center. $1.45 million in restitution ordered. DOJ’s commitment to protect reproductive healthcare.
