Mountain Grove, MO. – A man has been found guilty of starting a church fire in Mountain Grove in June of 2023.
According to the original report, on June 10, 2023, firefighters from Norwood, Cabool, Houston, and Mansfield all put out a fire at the Southside Baptist Church, which had been a part of the town since 1956. Upon investigation into the fire, officials concluded that the fire was deliberately started and they also found evidence of the church rooms being ransacked before the fire started. On the day after the fire police received a call from a local woman who said she had offered a ride to a man a couple of streets down from the fire. She reported that the man had declined and stated that he just burned down the church.
The man was later identified as James Lee Hopkins, who was a homeless man working his way back to South Carolina to live with his sister. There were multiple calls to the police station from individuals stating that Hopkins was intoxicated and wandering through neighborhoods. During the first trial, James Hopkins pled not guilty to starting the church fire.
During the trial on June 3, 2024, he was charged and found guilty of second-degree burglary and first-degree arson. He is due back in court for final sentencing in September 2024.
