A Hoschton man was sentenced to five years in prison for setting fire to an Alabama church.
Donny Ray Horton Jr., 46, pleaded guilty to the April crime in September.
U.S. District Judge Inge P. Johnson sentenced Horton on Thursday on two counts of arson and one count of mail fraud. The judge ordered him to pay $340,629 in restitution, and to forfeit $78,769 to the government as proceeds of illegal activity.
Horton was arrested last spring after setting fire to a new sanctuary under construction for Gardendale First Baptist Church, located about 15 miles from Birmingham, Ala.
Horton accepted money from the church as a deposit to fund seating in the new sanctuary, but then twice set fire to the building and never ordered the 2,600 seats.
- The Associated Press contributed to this report
About the Author
The Latest
Featured
