BELTON, S.C. (ABP) — A Southern Baptist pastor accused of setting fire to his own church March 8 now faces additional charges of breach of trust and filing a false police statement.
On March 13, sheriff's deputies in South Carolina charged Christopher Patrick Daniels, 40, with making a false report about vandalism at Blue Ridge Baptist Church in Belton, S.C., where he was pastor, the Anderson, S.C., Independent-Mail reported March 16.
The newspaper quoted deputies as saying that Daniels filed four incident reports with the Anderson County Sheriff's Office claiming gang-related vandalism at the church between Dec. 13 and Jan. 23.
Chris Daniels appears at bond hearing via video camera. (wspa.com)
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Television station WYFF-4 in nearby Greenville, S.C. reported that investigators say the church was vandalized once by someone else in December before Daniels called in four more reports of vandalism, each time filing an insurance claim.
On March 12 the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division announced an additional charge against Daniels of breach of trust with fraudulent intent, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The arrest warrant said Daniels received more than $5,000 belonging to the church for his personal use between Jan. 6 and March 9 of this year.
The new charges are on top of a charge of second-degree arson, a crime that carries a sentence of up to 25 years.
Police arrested Daniels after he reported that he unlocked the church March 8 and found it filled with smoke. It was determined early that the fire was intentionally set after investigators found evidence they said pointed to Daniels.
As of March 16, Daniels was being held at the Anderson County Detention Center in lieu of bonds totaling $40,000, according to the Independent-Mail.
Blue Ridge Baptist Church, formerly known as Triangle Baptist Church, was reportedly Daniels' first congregation, and he had been there less than a year. The church, formed in 1900, is affiliated with the Southern Baptist and South Carolina Baptist conventions.
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Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.
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