Missouri man sentenced to over 9 years in prison for burning down church

MISSOURI (KBSI) – A Missouri man, Christopher Scott Pritchard, 49, has been sentenced to 111 months in prison for burning down a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints house of worship in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, in 2021.

Pritchard pleaded guilty to one count of arson and one count of violating the Church Arson Prevention Act. He admitted to setting fire to the church on April 28, 2021, after a verbal altercation with the Bishop a few days prior.

Pritchard was arrested about 1.5 miles away from the scene, with a backpack containing stolen items from the church, including a laptop, projector, speakers, and 21 apples. He also smelled of smoke.

In addition to his prison sentence, Pritchard was ordered to pay $6,968,223.36 in restitution for damages incurred by the church.

The case was investigated by the FBI St. Louis Field Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office, and the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office.