Man arrested on suspicion of setting fire at Indio Catholic church
The Indio Police Dept. arrested a man suspected of setting a fire at a Catholic church Wednesday afternoon.
The incident was reported at Our Lady of Perpetual Help on Deglet Noor at around 3:20 p.m.
According to a letter to the parents of the catholic school at the church, a man threw a glass bottle with an unknown substance at the front doors of the church, causing it to catch fire.
"This fire was small and did not cause any significant damage to the church doors," reads the letter.
Parents were alerted to pick up their children from the school out of an abundance of caution, the church reported.
Out of an abundance of caution, the church asked its congregation to refrain from attending church Thursday morning. The school will enlist a few extra dads to help monitor the campus throughout the day.
Ben Guitron of the Indio Police Dept. said the suspect was arrested a couple of hours after the incident. He noted nobody was hurt and there was damage was only to the sidewalk area.
There were no further details available on the suspect as of Thursday afternoon.
Below is the letter from the church about the incident with more details.
OLPH Catholic School and Preschool Parents,
The purpose of this email is to inform our OLPH School parents and guardians of a situation that took place this afternoon at our parish. I also write this letter to get accurate and truthful information to our parents and guardians to offset any rumors and/or inaccurate information that can spread during these situations.
This afternoon, at an estimated time of 3:20 p.m., a man threw a glass bottle with an unknown substance at the front doors of the church, causing it to catch fire. This fire was small and did not cause any significant damage to the church doors. We are thankful that a teacher alerted the school and that Mr. Jesse assessed the situation and put out the fire before it caused further damage.
Out of an abundance of caution, we immediately contacted all parents of students still on campus to pick up their children. Because this is an ongoing investigation, we do not have any further details. Indio Police Department is diligently working on finding the person responsible for this heinous action.
There is currently no direct threat or concern for the school. However, we will continue to have a heightened awareness and refrain from attending church tomorrow morning. We have asked our head WATCH D.O.G.G. volunteer, Mr. Bryan Eguez, to enlist a few extra dads to help monitor the campus throughout the day. We welcome you to assist if you are fully cleared to volunteer, especially during our 3-5 p.m. Extended Care hours.
We ask that you keep our parish staff, clergy, parishioners, and school in prayer and ask our Lord to heal those suffering from mental illness.
Thank you to all the OLPH staff. Your quick response to the situation ensured our students' and others' safety! We are a strong, faithful Catholic community and will not allow fear to waver our faith.
So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Hebrews 13:6
Blessings,
Mrs. Covarrubias
