A Douglas man, Eric Duane Ridenour, was sentenced this week to 438 months in prison after he was convicted in July of six arson and hate crimes counts stemming from the burning of two churches on May 22, 2023.
In 2023, Ridenour burned down two churches in Douglas, Arizona: Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church and First Presbyterian Church. The churches were located on Church Square, a historic district in the border town of Douglas, approximately two hours southeast of Tucson. It is believed to have been the only intersection in the nation containing churches from four different denominations: Southern Baptist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, and Methodist.
Trial testimony established that Ridenour intentionally started the fires in both churches because of his hostility towards their practice of having women and members of the LGBTQ community serve in church leadership roles. Ridenour was arrested on May 23, 2023.