Man charged in San Gabriel Mission blaze that destroyed rooftop of historic church
John David Corey faces two felony counts of arson of an inhabited structure and one count each of arson during a state of emergency, first-degree residential burglary and possession of flammable material, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office says.
The interior of the San Gabriel Mission is seen in the aftermath of a morning fire, July 11, 2020, in San Gabriel, California. The fire destroyed the rooftop and most of the interior of the 249-year-old church that was undergoing renovation. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
May 4, 2021
SAN GABRIEL, Calif. (RNS) A man has been charged in connection with a fire last July that destroyed the rooftop of a church at the historic San Gabriel Mission, the fourth in a series of missions across California that Catholic priest Junipero Serra founded during the Spanish colonization era.