Mississippi 'Vote Trump' Arson Case: Greenville Hopewell Baptist Church Parishioner Charged With Arson

Law enforcement authorities have made an arrest in the case of arson and vandalism of the Greenville Hopewell Baptist Church, a black church in Greenville, Mississippi, that was burnt and spray-painted with the words “Vote Trump,” in early November, before the presidential election.

Andrew McClinton of Leland, Mississippi, an African-American parishioner of the church, has been charged with first-degree arson of a place of worship, said Warren Strain, spokesman for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, according to CBS news affiliate WJTV.

McClinton, 45, remained in custody Wednesday night after being taken to the Washington County Detention Center, according to the Clarion-Ledger. He is still awaiting his initial appearance in Greenville Municipal Court.

"The charges that he received today, it was not a hate crime but we do not know if the federal government will pursue that as such because we do not have a motive yet," Kenya Collins, a spokesperson for the city of Greenville, told the Clarion-Ledger.

Firefighters were swift to extinguish the blaze at the 111-year-old church after a 911 call alerted the authorities at around 9:15 p.m. (10:15 p.m. EST) on Nov. 1. No one was reported to be injured.

Police have not yet attributed a motive to the burning of the church that was originally characterized as a hate crime believed to have been carried out by Trump supporters due to the “Vote Trump” graffiti. However, Mississippi Fire Marshal and Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said that investigators don’t believe the incident was politically motivated.

“We do not believe it was politically motivated. There may have been some efforts to make it appear politically motivated,” Chaney told the Associated Press (AP).

The cause of the incident has not been disclosed and investigations are ongoing.

“We don’t know if it was direct flame contact, contact with clothes or paper, but this here is an ongoing investigation and still remains to be an arson investigation,” Greenville Fire Chief Ruben Brown Sr. told the Clarion-Ledger in November.

The investigation has sprawled over law enforcement circles and is being investigated by the Greenville Police, Greenville Fire Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to CNN. Media reports suggested that the FBI was investigating the incident too.

“We will not rest until the culprit, be they male, female, black, white, Republican, or Democrat; is found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Greenville Mayor Errick Simmons reportedly said after the fire.

Mississippi law suggests that if found guilty, McClinton’s sentence could range from a minimum of five years, and a maximum of 30 years, besides making full restitution for the damage caused.

But, McClinton also has a prior rap sheet. Having been convicted for an armed robbery in 2004 that took place in Lee County, Mississippi, he was released in 2012 after serving eight years in prison, the AP reported. Prior to that, in 1997, he was sentenced to seven years for attempted robbery in Lee County and was also sentenced to three years’ probation for a grand larceny conviction in 1991.