Man accused in Douglas church arsons was mad about women, gays, prosecutors say

The man accused of setting fire to two neighboring historic churches in Douglas last month was motivated by animosity toward inclusive policies the churches have, specifically toward women and gay people holding authority positions, prosecutors allege in court documents.

Eric Ridenour, 58, was arrested May 23 and taken into federal custody in connection with arson fires that significantly damaged Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church and First Presbyterian Church.

The Douglas Fire Department responded to a fire at St. Stephen’s on May 22 after large amounts of smoke was seen coming from the structure and the attached two-story residence. While crews worked to put out the blaze, smoke was also seen at an adjacent church, First Presbyterian, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court.

The fires continued to re-ignite throughout the evening and into the next day. The structure of St. Stephen’s was almost completely destroyed while the roof of First Presbyterian collapsed, the complaint said.

Though no one was injured, a daycare center that is next door to St. Stephen’s was open and had children in it at the time of fire. First Presbyterian had also set up cots on-site in anticipation of housing migrants’ families following the end of Title 45. No migrants, however, were in the church.

Special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with Douglas law enforcement agencies investigated the fires and found a bottle of lighter fluid behind the offering table near the altar at First Presbyterian, the complaint said. Remnants of what appeared to be lighters were also found.

The day after the fire, investigators obtained surveillance footage that showed a blue Pontiac Aztec arrive in the alleyway near St. Stephen’s about 10:38 a.m., the complaint said. A few minutes later, a man exited the vehicle carrying a plastic bag.

The man was then seen walking in the area near the churches and later drove away in the Pontiac Aztec. As the vehicle left the scene, smoke was seen coming from the two-story residence attached to St. Stephen’s, the complaint said.

ATF agents later found that only one blue Pontiac Aztec was registered to an individual living in Douglas. The individual was later identified as Ridenour and agents served a search warrant on his house and vehicle, the complaint said.

While searching his residence, an ATF canine found the presence of accelerants on pants that matched the pants worn by the man in the surveillance footage, the complaint said. Accelerants are flammable substances used to aid the spread of fire.

The canine also found accelerants on shoes worn by Ridenour and a green hat that matched the one worn by the man in the video was found in his vehicle, the complaint said. Agents noted that Ridenour had a “distinctive gait” to his walk that also matched the subject seen on video.

On Wednesday, the state requested that Ridenour continue to be detained.

“There is strong evidence that, in committing this act, the defendant was motivated by his animosity towards the churches’ inclusive policies towards all individuals, including women and gay people,” the detention motion said.

A letter written by Ridenour was found during the search of his home in which prosecutors say Ridenour wrote about how he and his wife attend a church in Bisbee and described how he believed “culture” was creeping into the church, according to the motion. It says he also spoke to the pastor of his church about his beliefs and was asked to leave and find another place to worship, the motion said.

On June 2, special agents interviewed the pastor of the Bisbee church who said Ridenour asked him to lunch and told him he didn’t believe women should be in positions of authority in the church, the motion said. After that day, Ridenour and his wife never returned to the church.

The pastor told agents that at that church, women are involved with the service and sometimes led readings and prayer, the motion said.

Some of Ridenour’s neighbors also said that he was unhappy with the church’s views toward worship and believed that women should not be preaching or leading prayer.

“Another neighbor stated the defendant had started his own church, as he was unhappy with the local churches, and that the defendant didn’t like gays, didn’t like politicians and didn’t like women in general leading the church,” the motion said.

The motion claims that evidence exists that shows that Ridenour had visited St. Stephen’s in 2021 to asked about their beliefs. Some time that same year, the pastor at St. Stephen’s said he had met with Ridenour’s wife and a man who matched Ridenour’s description, the motion said.

During that meeting, the man, who is believed to be Ridenour, took photos of the church’s interior and asked if women could be pastors in the Episcopalian Church as well as other questions regarding participation in politics and religion by women and gay people, stating he would not attend church with a gay pastor, the motion said.

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The motion noted that the pastor of First Presbyterian is a woman, and the pastor of St. Stephen’s is openly gay.

Prior to his arrest, Ridenour had also been convicted for misdemeanor criminal damage involving a domestic violence incident with an ex-girlfriend where he kicked down the women’s door during a domestic dispute, the motion said. He had also been arrested for allegedly pouring sugar in the gas tank of another ex-girlfriend and threatening to beat up an ex-wife’s fiancé during a dispute.

Although these incidents happened more than two decades ago, the motion said they show a pattern of someone who caused or threatens harm when he encounters conflicts with others.

On Thursday, a hearing was held in federal court in Tucson to determine whether Ridenour would be released pending trial or stay detained.

St. Stephen’s pastor, John Caleb Collins, told the court that the church as well as community members feared for their safety following the fires. Peggy Christiansen, the pastor at First Presbyterian, echoed Collins’ concern, saying the incident had deeply shaken the community and she was scared.

Adam D. Rossi, the prosecutor, said it was “shear luck” no one was injured in the fires, and claimed Ridenour had a “cold indifference for human life and property.”

Nancy Janeth Arce, the attorney for Ridenour, argued that there were no eyewitnesses who saw Ridenour set the fires and there was no forensic evidence that tied him to it. Arce also said he is “free to have his beliefs” and has been a law-abiding citizen for the past 25 years.

Ultimately, Judge Lynnette Kimmins found that Ridenour is a danger to the community and ordered that he stay detained.

Collins described Thursday as a “tough day,” and it was a sigh of relief to hear Ridenour would be detained.

Collins also said there was a lot of heartache and pain when he learned about the possible motive of the fire. At St. Stephen’s, Collins said they don’t ask about people’s views and show the same hospitality to anyone who comes in, stating that it hurts to know that people would take advantage of them.

Since the fire, he said they have been receiving mostly love from the community but had received some online hate comments about the fire. One comment in particular said the fire was “God’s judgement on us,” Collins said.

While those in the community have expressed fear about attending mass, Collins said they have been in contact with the proper authorities and are having more conversations about being safe and more alert.

Although they have received some support from other community churches, Collins said they haven’t heard much from the more conservative churches in the area.

“Silence is complicity,” Collins said. “If you hear hate, you have the right to tell them it’s wrong.”

As for the rebuilding process, Collins said the structure at St. Stephen’s is a total loss and they are currently working with the insurance company.

For now, they have been holding mass at Grace Methodist Church and are accepting donations through their website.

First Presbyterian has a Go Fund Me page set up where donations are accepted. On the page, they say they have also been holding mass at Grace Methodist Church.

While it is too early to know how much of the structure can be saved, the Go Fund Me page says they are working with a great insurance company and restoration experts.