Son Of Law Enforcement Official Arrested In Connection With Fires At Three Black Churches

The suspect is the son of a St. Landry Parish Deputy.

A man has been arrested in connection with the string of black church burnings that recently occurred in Louisiana's St. Landry Parish.

READ: "Suspicious" Fires Destroy Three Historically Black Churches In Louisiana

Holden Matthews, 21, was arrested Wednesday evening and placed into the St. Landry Parish jail. Matthews is the son of a St. Landry Parish Deputy, but his father did not turn him in to deputies, according to KATC.

"I'm very proud of the investigative effort that has lead to this arrest. I'm prayerful that we can close this horrific chapter and begin to heal. I'm especially uplifted by the Christian Community right now. God bless us one and all," Congressman Clay Higgins said in a statement to KATC.

The fires, which occurred between March 26 and April 4, have been investigated by the Louisiana State Fire Marshal's Office. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), FBI, Louisiana State Police, Louisiana Attorney General's Office, St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office, and several other local agencies have also been helping with the investigation.

The St. Mary Baptist Church in the community of Port Barre, and Greater Union Baptist Church and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas, were destroyed from the fires. All three churches were well over a hundred years old.

Source: KATC