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Warner man pleads guilty to arson |
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Written by Delon Shurtz
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Tuesday, June 09 2009, 10:28 PM |
A Warner man will be sentenced later this summer for setting fire to a church nearly two years ago.
Levi Bouldry, 20, who was scheduled to go to trial for breaking into the Evangelical Missionary Church in Warner and setting it on fire July 30, 2007, pleaded guilty to arson Tuesday in Lethbridge provincial court.
Sentencing, as well as a psychological report and pre-sentence report, is scheduled for Aug. 20 in Lethbridge.
Crown prosecutor Richard Paziuk told court Bouldry broke into the church and stole computer equipment before setting fire to a storage room under a set of stairs, and a second fire in the kitchen in the northeast corner of the church. The second fire didn’t take, but the first fire did, resulting in about $400,000 in damage.
“There was significant smoke damage caused,” Paziuk said.
Firefighters evacuated a nearby apartment building and managed to save the church, and police spent several months investigating before learning through interviews with the pastor and church members that Bouldry had some of the stolen computer equipment at his home. He claimed he bought the computer from a woman at a store and agreed to a polygraph test. He later admitted to both the arson and break-in.
Paziuk said the stolen items have been recovered and Bouldry has written a letter to the church and community apologizing for committing the crimes.
Bouldry, who is serving a federal prison sentence, as well, will remain in custody at least until his sentencing in August.
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