Investigators charged a man on Tuesday in connection with an early morning church fire in Marysville.
According to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, Stephen Beightler was charged with one count of arson and one count of receiving stolen property in relation to the fire that started at about 4 a.m. at the New Horizons Baptist Church, located at 17939 Paver-Barnes Rd, 10TV's Chuck Strickler reported.
Beightler, 30, of Philadelphia, Pa., was taken to the Tri County Jail in Mechanicsburg and will be arraigned on Wednesday, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Union County Sheriff Jamie Patton said that Beightler was found sitting on a swing set 100 feet away from the burning church.
"When you have someone just sitting there and is the first one here, obviously, those are the first persons you want to talk to," Patton said.
Pastor Roger Williams, who has been with the church for more than five years, said that investigators told him that they believed the fire was arson.
"When we first woke up and saw the church was on fire," Williams said. "It was just a shock. We couldn't believe it."
Patton said that when investigators arrived at the scene, the building was fully engulfed. The church had more than 150 parishioners, Strickler reported.
"It was so much fire when we arrived, it was beyond our capabilities initially. Especially with the amount of water and not having any fire hydrants there," Marysville Fire Department Assistant Chief Jay Riley said.
Patton said that investigators found a burned vehicle in the lobby of the church.
Investigators said that the car was a BMW and were trying to find the owner, Strickler reported.
"The church doesn't have a drive through, so we need to determine why do we have a car inside the church," Patton said.
Williams said there is a lot of work to be done and that the church does have insurance.
"A lot of memories, a lot of history is here," Williams said. "But it's a chance for a new beginning, I guess."
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