South Salt Lake police arrest man in arson of 2 LDS chapels

SOUTH SALT LAKE — Investigators Sunday arrested a man suspected of setting fire to two LDS Church meetinghouses in South Salt Lake early Saturday.

Patrick Ehat, 26, of Salt Lake City, was arrested at 2:30 a.m. Sunday — about 23 hours after the first church fire was reported. Both churches had broken windows, and police reports state that Ehat has injuries consistent with climbing through a broken window.

Ehat was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of two counts of arson, two counts of criminal mischief and two counts of burglary.

"We're grateful we have this person off the street," said South Salt Lake police detective Gary Keller.

Ehat's parents, Stephen and Jeanine Ehat, issued a statement Sunday, though it did little to shed light on a possible motive for the fires.

"We love our son Patrick. We understand from news reports that he has confessed to two church arsons. Because he has limited his contact with us in recent months, we are unable to speculate about motive. We are confident that medical professionals will assess his mental health," the statement reads. "We have cooperated fully with law enforcement and grieve at the damage caused."

In a separate e-mail to members of the media, Ehat's parents said jail officials have made arrangements for them to speak to their son Monday morning.

The first fire was reported at 3:30 a.m. in a church at 3219 S. 300 East. The fire heavily damaged the chapel of the building where the fire began. Smoke and water damaged the rest of the building.

The second fire was reported at 6:48 a.m. at a church at 2702 S. Main. Smoke and water caused most of the damage in that building.

A tip was called into Salt Lake City police Saturday night that led South Salt Lake officers to Ehat.

Keller said Ehat told investigators he was responsible for the fires. Investigators say they believe he acted alone, but they had no indication of a motive Sunday.

The fires caused more than $400,000 in damage, officials said. Sunday services for the five wards of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints affected by the fires were being held at nearby buildings.

"We feel bad that their church burned down, but we have plenty of room for them here," said Cynthia Olson, who attends church services at a chapel near 3500 South and 1300 East.

A blaze that started in a vacant home in the same area Saturday is still under investigation.

Contributing: John Hollenhorst and Jared Page

e-mail: mfarmer@desnews.com