RUSK COUNTY, Texas — Officials have arrested a man accused of the December church fire in Rusk County.
According to the RCSO, Paul W. Kennedy has been formally arraigned on an arson charge stemming from the December 21, 2019 church fire.
On December 21, 2019, the sheriff's office responded to a structure fire at the Shell’s Temple Church of God in Christ, located in Laneville.
Preliminary reports indicate that the church was completely engulfed with flames. Due to some inconsistencies with the scene, the Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division was requested. It was later determined the fire was an act of arson.
Officials say Kennedy was linked to the Laneville ISD being broken into and has also been charged and arraigned for that offense.
He is being held in the Rusk County Jail with a total bond amount of $162,500 and seventeen out of county warrants and other felony charges pending.
