A Tennessee man was sentenced to seven years in federal prison Wednesday for intentionally setting fire to multiple churches in 2019.
Alan Douglas Fox, 29, of Nashville also received three years of supervised release for the arson of four Nashville-based churches, according to a statement from the Department of Justice.
“This defendant has now been held accountable for his dangerous arson spree that caused damage to a Catholic church, a Methodist church, and two Baptist churches, all pillars of the Nashville community,” said Kristen Clarke, the DOJ’s assistant attorney general for civil rights.
Fox pleaded guilty to all counts Oct. 20, 2021, after being charged with civil rights violations Aug. 25.
Federal prosecutors said Fox intentionally set fire to Crievewood United Methodist Church on June 17, 20`19, followed by Crievewood Baptist Church and Saint Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Church on June 25. He went on to set fire to Priest Lake Community Baptist Church on June 26, according to court documents and statements made during the plea and sentencing hearings.
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“Attacks on houses of worship are attacks on people of faith that undermine the fundamental right to practice one’s religion free from fear or violence,” Clarke said. “The Civil Rights Division will continue to vigorously enforce federal laws that protect all houses of worship, regardless of denomination.”
Fox’s motive for setting fire to the churches had been “because of their religious character,” according to the Justice Department, which added that he used a handgun to break into the Crievewood Baptist Church. “The fires resulted in significant damage to all four churches,” the DOJ said.
“This case was investigated by the FBI, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, and the Nashville Fire Department. It was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Kyle Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke Schiferle,” the DOJ added.
