{"id":2999,"date":"2026-07-10T19:07:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T19:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2999"},"modified":"2026-07-10T19:07:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T19:07:08","slug":"sc-man-inspired-by-bible-verse-to-torch-georgia-church-sentenced-to-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2999","title":{"rendered":"SC man inspired by Bible verse to torch Georgia church sentenced to prison"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>A South Carolina man inspired by a Bible verse to set fire to a Georgia church will spend the next five years behind bars.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2998\">How Lake Murray\u2019s newest state park handles traffic concerns in first summer open<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Luke Andrew Westefeld, 35, of North Augusta, was sentenced Thursday to 60 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Middle District of Georgia announced.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Westefeld, who in April pleaded guilty to one count of malicious use of fire for torching the Byron United Methodist Church in Central Georgia, faced up to 20 years in prison for his crime.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe act of setting fire to a place of worship is not just an attack on a building, it\u2019s an assault on the community\u2019s spirit,\u201d ATF Atlanta\u2019s Resident Agent in Charge Robert W. Davis said in a statement following Westefeld\u2019s sentencing.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The ATF worked the case in concert with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia State Fire Marshals and the Centerville, Georgia and Byron, Georgia police departments.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>According to court documents and testimony, Westefeld broke into the Byron United Methodist Church on the night of Aug. 20, 2024, and grew incensed upon seeing unlit candlesticks on the altar.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2996\">SC budgets over $150M a year to pay back debt. Most is spent elsewhere, later<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>When he noticed that the Bible on the pulpit was opened to Ezekiel 24:21, a passage foretelling the desecration of the Temple in Jerusalem, Westefeld took it as a sign he should burn the church down, prosecutors said.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>After lighting the candlesticks and burning the American and Methodist flags in the sanctuary, he retreated to the church office, where he grew even more enraged, according to authorities.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The cash, checks and food he found in the office raised his anger level to a \u201c10,\u201d prosecutors said, because he believed the money should have been deposited in a bank and the food distributed to the poor.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Westefeld, who ended up pocketing the cash, then proceeded to set fire to the church office, according to authorities.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>He tried to accelerate the blaze by siphoning gasoline from a locked church van that was parked behind the church, but was unsuccessful, prosecutors said. Instead, Westefeld stuffed his white shirt into the van\u2019s gas cap and set it on fire.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2995\">Power vs. property: SC landowners fight back against energy company over pipeline<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A South Carolina man was sentenced to 5 years in prison for setting fire to a Georgia church, the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Middle District of Georgia said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>SC man inspired by Bible verse to torch Georgia church sentenced to prison - 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