West Plains, MO. – A homeless South Carolina man has been charged in the fire that destroyed a Mountain Grove church on Sunday morning.
James Lee Hopkins, III has been charged with two counts of 2nd Degree Burglary and one count of Arson in the 1st Degree. He is being held in custody pending a $50,000 cash bond with special conditions.
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Hopkins was arrested on Monday, June 12 by the Mountain Grove Police Department and appeared before the Wright County court earlier this week. The defendant requested a public defender for the case. The prosecution is seeking incarceration due to the total loss of the church and the danger local firefighters were in battling the blaze.
A bond hearing for Hopkins has been set for June 26, 2023, at 9 a.m.
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