PARADISE TOWNSHIP, MONROE CO. (WOLF) —
A Monroe County Church was the target of an arson yesterday.
65-Year-Old Steven Meyer of Paradise Township has been charged with Arson, Ethic Intimidation, and criminal mischief.
“I find out from my brother who is also a trustee. The pastor had called him after being notified by the state police that someone was burning a flag outside of our church and fella lives next door, and he’s a little bit unbalanced,” said Stephen Jabara, a trustee at the church.
“He was just disruptive when he came to church, he started coming here a few months ago, not regularly but every 3rd Sunday I would say, creating a ruckus,” said Jabara.
“I just bought a new flag, I’m going to put it up today,” he added.
With only about 35 members at Keokee Chapel United Methodist, Stephen Jabara, a trustee who has been there for about 35 years, says he hasn’t ever see an incident like this.
“This was the American flag, it was lit on fire. Through investigation, a suspect was developed. Thankfully, the fire was put out before it spread to the actual building,” said Trooper Anthony Petroski.
“The charge of ethnic intimidation a lot of people think it strictly has to do with race, it also covers many other categories with religion being in there also, that’s why this charge was approved through the Monroe County district attorney’s office,” he added.
Fred Jabara, another trustee at the church, recalls Meyers caused a scene there only two weeks ago.
“Everybody got scared because it’s mostly old folks in there or young children, we were concerned, and now this happens. Hopefully, there’s a solution for this poor guy,” said Fred Jabara, a trustee at the church.
“He fancies himself as lucifer, he was in the sanctuary saying I’m lucifer, and everybody started raising their eyebrows’, when that happened, that was two weeks ago,” he said.
Meyers who lives directly next door is being held at the Monroe County Correctional Facility until a preliminary arraignment.
This investigation is ongoing in conjunction with PSP Stroudsburg and the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office.
Source:
https://fox56.com/amp/news/local/psp-man-arrested-for-setting-church-flag-ablaze-in-monroe-county