Man faces charges in church fire

Prosecutors Thursday charged a man with aggravated arson, criminal mischief and burglary after he admitted setting a fire in a church and causing more than half a million dollars in damage.

Mike Ferguson, 18, was seen coming out of a broken door at the church, a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at 1078 S. McClelland St. (1040 East), on Tuesday. The witness reported seeing broken glass and hearing things being broken inside, documents filed in 3rd District Court say.

Ferguson and an unnamed juvenile female ran out of the church, and according to court documents, the juvenile tossed a baseball bat and a red gas can back into the building through the broken glass.

The man was charged with the three felony charges after he admitted to police he had vandalized the church and set it on fire.