Two juveniles arrested in arson cases

• By DAVID J. MITCHELL
• Advocate Florida parishes bureau
• Published: Nov 20, 2008 - UPDATED: 7:35 p.m.

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DENHAM SPRINGS — Investigators arrested two juveniles in connection with a church arson early today and a trailer fire Nov. 4 in the Eastover Estates subdivision near Denham Springs, the Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office reported tonight.

One juvenile has been arrested and booked with simple arson in connection with a fire early today at the Iglesia La Luz del Mundo, 25825 Aztec St., Denham Springs, the Fire Marshal’s Office said in a statement tonight.

The fire appears to be set as a random act of vandalism and there was no indication of any type of hate crime motive, the Fire Marshal’s Office said.

A second juvenile has been booked with simple arson in connection with a house trailer fire at the intersection of Chotochta and Aztec streets that caused $15,000 in damage, the Fire Marshal’s Office said.

The trailer fire is one of three that have occurred in Eastover Estates in the past two and a half weeks, the Fire Marshal’s Office said. Eastover is a subdivision of trailers and mobile homes.

Both juveniles are being held in the Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center, the Fire Marshal’s Office said. The arrests are part of an ongoing investigation by the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Fire Marshal’s Office Arson Division.

More arrests are expected, the Fire Marshal’s Office said.

The blaze at Iglesia La Luz del Mundo appeared to be intentionally set and the Fire Marshal’s Office was called to investigate early today, said Assistant Fire Chief Mickey Sharp of Livingston Parish Fire Protection District No. 5.

Sharp said the firefighters were called to the scene of the church fire about 2:55 a.m. today and the fire, which burned one room and led to mostly smoke and water damage elsewhere in the building, was under control at about 3:15 a.m.

An agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was on the scene at about 12:45 p.m. today interviewing the pastor of the church and his wife.

Nora Gonzalez, 58, the wife of the church’s pastor, said the church had opened at the location about 18 months ago. Its members include Hispanic and African American residents of the subdivision and the Baton Rouge area.

Gonzalez said La Luz del Mundo, which means the “light of the world,” is a Christian denomination based in Mexico.

Gonzalez said there have been other incidents at the church involving things such as graffiti and a dead dog dumped near the pastor’s mobile home. The trailer is about 100 yards from the church.