NASHVILLE – Alan Douglas Fox, 29, of Nashville, was sentenced today to seven years in federal prison for a series of church arsons which occurred in 2019, announced U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee. Fox was charged by criminal information on August 25, 2021, and pleaded guilty to all counts on October. 20, 2021.
According to court documents and statements made during the plea and sentencing hearings, Fox intentionally set fire to the Crievewood United Methodist Church on June 17, 2019; the Crievewood Baptist Church on June 25, 2019; the Saint Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Church on June 25, 2019; and the Priest Lake Community Baptist Church on June 26, 2019, all because of their religious character. Fox also carried and used a handgun to break into the Crievewood Baptist Church to facilitate the arson. The fires resulted in significant damage to all four churches.
This case was investigated by the FBI, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, and the Nashville Fire Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooke Schiferle and Trial Attorney Kyle Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
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