On April 15, 2021, the Division of Justice in Massachusetts issued a press launch stating {that a} Maine man was charged in federal court docket in Springfield, in reference to a hearth that destroyed The Martin Luther King, Jr. Group Presbyterian Church. The occasion occurred on the predominately Black church on Dec. 28, 2020.
In a prison criticism, authorities charged 44-year-old Dushko Vulchev of Maine with 4 counts of injury to spiritual property involving fireplace and one rely of use of fireplace to commit a federal felony. Vulchev is presently in state custody and can make an preliminary look in federal court docket in Springfield.
“In keeping with court docket paperwork, an deliberately set fireplace triggered intensive harm to the church within the early morning hours of Dec. 28, 2020. In court docket paperwork, the federal government alleges that Vulchev set the Dec. 28 fireplace. The federal government additionally alleges that Vulchev can be accountable for a number of different fires set on church property and for a collection of tires slashings on church property and within the surrounding space,” the press launch mentioned.
The extra fires alleged within the criticism embrace a hearth on the backdoor of the church on Dec. 13, 2020, plus two extra fires close to the rear door of the church on Dec. 15, 2020. Additionally, the evaluate of safety video and site knowledge from Vulchev’s cell phone was accessed. It reportedly confirmed that Vulchev was at or close to the scene of lots of the alleged crimes, together with the Dec. 28, 2020 fireplace that severely broken the church.
In keeping with charging paperwork referenced by Maine’s Division of Justice, Vulchev’s hatred of Black folks, included current messages from Vulchev in December 2020 calling to “eradicate all N****s.”
Moreover, Information Heart Maine acknowledged that the FBI mentioned Vulchev’s girlfriend was interviewed. She allegedly mentioned Vulchev “regularly displayed racial animus in the direction of non-whites and Muslims. In keeping with her, Vulchev used the epithet “N-word” to explain Black folks.” The FBI reportedly reviewed Skype messages Vulchev’s girlfriend saved. A pc containing racist statements was additionally seized from Vulchev’s car.
Information Heart Maine additionally reported that Vulchev is initially from Bulgaria and has a prolonged prison historical past.
“In 2015, he plead responsible to threatening to kill the Bulgarian president,” Information Heart Maine mentioned.
So far as the standing of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Group Presbyterian Church, church, WWLP (22News) mentioned that companies are being held over Zoom, though a seek for out of doors house to worship is underway. Within the interview, Rev. Dr. Terrlyn Curry remarked that she hopes the neighborhood will proceed to dwell in hope and love. She reportedly doesn’t deal with the hate, moderately the love.
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