A New Mexico man was sentenced Monday, April 14, to more than four years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to setting a Yucaipa church and preschool on fire last year.
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Jonathan Barajas Nava, 37, was sentenced to four years and three months and has to pay $7,008 in restitution after he pleaded guilty in January to damaging Retreat Church and Yucaipa Christian Preschool, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Nava poured gasoline from a nearby gas station on the church’s front door and set it on fire while children and staff were inside on April 24, 2024, according to his plea agreement.
Fire damaged the church’s carpet, doorframe and outdoor mat as staff and children evacuated. Nava then went to a nearby strip mall and set fire to a wall, his plea agreement said.
He was arrested later that day and said in his plea agreement that he targeted the church for religious reasons.
