Teen gets probation after setting fires at historically-Black York County, SC, church
A South Carolina boy who took video of himself setting fires in a historically-Black church outside Rock Hill has been given probation, a judge ruled Tuesday.
South Carolina Family Court Judge Coreen Khoury agreed with a S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice evaluation that recommended probation, mental health treatment, counseling, and other terms the teen must adhere to.
The boy, 14, pleaded guilty to arson and other charges in the April fires at Catawba Chapel AME Zion in York County.
The teen could have faced juvenile jail up to age 21.
The boy is white. Membership at the church, which has stood for more than a century, is mainly African-American.
The Herald is not naming the teen because of his age.
Prosecutor says fire is troubling, no racial motive
Sixteenth Circuit Senior Assistant Solicitor Whitney Payne said in court that it is not believed the fire had racial motivation.
“There is no evidence this was a hate crime,” Payne said.
However, Payne said prosecutors believe the incident to be very serious because the teen has mental health and development problems, and recorded himself setting the fires inside the church. The teen lived near the church at the time of the fires.
No one was hurt in April when multiple fires were all set at the same time, Payne said. The fire did not happen during church services. The damage was discovered when church members went to the building between weekend worship services.
The fire was investigated by York County Sheriff’s Office deputies, as well as the State Law Enforcement Division, FBI, and the U.S. Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Investigators recovered video the teen took of himself setting the fires, officials said.
The church suffered more than $100,000 in damages.
Rev. Darian Potts of the church was in court Tuesday but did not speak. Church officials had expressed concern in previous hearings about safety of the members and the building if the teen was released.
Teen apologizes in court
The teen had been in SC. Department of Juvenile Justice custody from arrest in May until Tuesday.
The teen did not speak in court. However, the teen apologized via an apology letter read in court that had been produced with the assistance of adults.
“I want to go home and pay for the damages I caused,” the letter stated. “I apologize, and hope they give me a second chance.”
The teen’s lawyer, 16th Circuit Assistant Public Defender Stacey Coleman, said the teen reads at an elementary level and has developmental delays.
Coleman said the teen likely showed anger in setting the fires, but had no ill will toward the church or its members.
“He acted on anger, not any racial issues,” Coleman said in court.
The teen’s mother said in court the teen would live with her in another nearby county and will receive all court-ordered treatment.
