Four 17-Year-Old Boys Arrested for Church Fires in KY {Lawyer Blames Internet Access}

Lexington, KY, Herald-Leader ^ | 04-09-03 | Mueller, Lee

[Theodore R.]

Four boys arrested for church fires Johnson County teens are charged with arson By Lee Mueller EASTERN KENTUCKY BUREAU

PAINTSVILLE - State and federal authorities arrested four Johnson County high school students late Wednesday night and charged them with arson in connection with the burning of three churches in February and March.

The students, all 17-year-old boys, appeared in Johnson County juvenile court yesterday and were taken by the sheriff's department to a juvenile detention center in Breathitt County. All were charged with second-degree arson in connection with the fires, and criminal mischief and third-degree burglary in connection with the robbery of at least one other church, according to a news release by Sheriff Bill Witten.

"It's a relief," said Kelly Caudill, pastor of Tom's Creek Freewill Baptist Church, about 5 miles from one of the burned churches. Caudill said members at his church were preparing to install a security system in response to the incidents.

Caudill was at the Johnson County Courthouse yesterday morning, but the defendants covered their heads with their coats when they left a closed hearing in the courthouse, "so I don't think anyone got a look at their faces." The identity of juveniles is kept private in criminal proceedings in Kentucky.

Two churches, the New Bethel Freewill Baptist Church at Riceville and the Sugar Grove United Baptist Church at Sitka, were burned March 27, a Saturday night. The other fire destroyed the Tom's Creek United Baptist Church at Tutor Key on Feb. 28.

Also on Feb. 28, satanic symbols were spray-painted on the floor of the Ramey Branch Church on Ky. 172. Witten said the FBI "is looking at it from the angle of 'hate crimes' to see if there's charges they can pursue."

But Michael D. Osborne, a Paintsville attorney who represents one of the juveniles, blamed the episode on unregulated Internet access, not hate or Satan.

"They're not devil worshipers or bad kids," Osborne said. "None of these children had been in any trouble."

All of the defendants are good students from good families, he said.

"There was no reason for this," he said. "One or both parents of each child is a Christian. The only common threat between them is that they spent lots of time on the Internet and had computer linkups between their computers."

What happened, Osborne said, is that "these juveniles will get on the Internet and it's almost like brainwashing them."

Osborne would not discuss what Internet content the four teens were reading. But he said of the dangers parents face in watching out for their children, unregulated access to the Internet is the most dangerous.

"They have to do something with the Internet. I mean, how can you take a kid and give him access to every evil in the world without any regulation," he said. "It's where they can go to learn how to make crystal meth, make pipe bombs -- they get into these chat rooms with God knows who ... and when you spend most of your free time exploring the taboo, things don't seem as bad."

Sheriff Witten said Kentucky State Police, federal agents and local officers executed search warrants, but declined to discuss details of the investigation, citing confidentiality of juvenile matters.

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[Theodore R.]

Could the boys have been reading about Bill Clinton, who remembered churches burning in the late 1950s? Of course, in Clinton's case the AR churches did not burn.

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[Izzy Dunne]

They have to do something with the Internet. I mean, how can you take a kid and give him access to every evil in the world without any regulation," he said.

And the parents..... ?

[Hodar]

"They're not devil worshipers or bad kids," Osborne said. "None of these children had been in any trouble."

Oh, then let's just forget everything. After all, these are GOOD boys who simply made a mistake. And it's not their fault, it's the internet .... so let's blame AlGore.
< /sarcasm - except for the AlGore part>

[dead]

Stupid internet.

Mean too.

[Fiddlstix]

Ping

[Mears]

Here we go with the idiotic "hate crime" nonsense again,one of my personal pet peeves.

Sure the internet did it,we all light fires after logging on,don't we?

There's no such thing as a bad boy .(sarcasm intended)

[OMalley]

"And the parents..... ?"

My thoughts exactly. Parents now days use the internet as a baby sitter-there are "regulations" its called parental controls.

[dead]

We should build an internet that makes teenage boys do yard work and shovel snow for free.

And make them give us their money too, if they have any.

[MEG33]

I have Grandsons on the internet and they aren't burning down anything...

Bad internet,Bad internet..put Internet behind bars./sarcasm

[xJones]

Two churches, the New Bethel Freewill Baptist Church at Riceville and the Sugar Grove United Baptist Church at Sitka, were burned March 27, a Saturday night. The other fire destroyed the Tom's Creek United Baptist Church at Tutor Key on Feb. 28.

Darn Methodists, they never did like us.

[anonymous_user]

Internet causes fires, therefore Internet was invented before fire?

[theDentist]

Them little scamps! BTW: Did you hear about them horrid Marines attacking a Mosque just because freedom fighters were taking shots at them from there? {/heavy sarcasm}

[mtbopfuyn]

One or both parents of each child is a Christian. The only common threat between them is that they spent lots of time on the Internet and had computer linkups between their computers.

Oh, let's not blame the kids. Let's not blame their parents who didn't teach them right from wrong or know what their little Christian darlings were up to Saturday night. Nope, it's Gore's fault for inventing the evil internet. Be gone you evil freepers who play on the internet all day and night!

[skinkinthegrass]

Here we go with the idiotic "hate crime" nonsense again...Sure the INTERNET did it...

...If its' from the Lexington HL, be careful...they'll editorialize and/or amplify any misinformation to suit their purposes.

...in short, they are Shrillary's Bootlickers/Lackeys.

[BossLady]

"blamed the episode on unregulated Internet access"

Sooooo.....it's all AlGore's fault???!!! ;)

[antiRepublicrat]

I hope nobody believes any of this. Reach back to when you were a boy and think of the (hopefully) lesser things you've done -- this was a stupid prank and they used the satanic stuff to get more of a rise out of everyone.

Not that they should show leniency on the kids, but the Internet and satanic stuff really have nothing to do with this.

[af_vet_rr]

It's like people in this thread trying to blame MTV. Their lawyer is disgusting. Everybody wants to blame movies, music, games. Nobody wants to do the hard thing and place the blame on the 17 year olds (hardly boys) or poor parenting. Just too easy to blame everything/everybody else.

[ApplegateRanch]

"None of these children had been in any trouble."

No criminal has ever been in trouble before the first time he was caught, Ms. Lawyer.

[ApplegateRanch]

Uhm, that was Mr. lawyer.

Ban the evil Internet! I knew Algore was evil, and he only invented it for evil purposes. It is perverting innocent cheeilldren.