Hate crimes added to charges in Douglas church-arson case

A federal grand jury in Tucson has added hate crime charges against the man accused of burning two historic Douglas churches in May, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Friday in a news release.

Eric Ridenour, 58, already faced counts that included arson and obstruction of religious beliefs in connection with fires at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church and First Presbyterian Church, both in Douglas.

The indictment alleges that Ridenour intentionally set fire to the religious institutions “because of his hostility toward their progressive doctrines, particularly their practice of having women and members of the LGBTQ community serve as church leaders,” the release said.

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Ridenour was arrested in May and indicted in June.

Ridenour could face decades in prison if convicted, the release said.