RIVERSIDE, California
A federal grand jury returned a two-count federal indictment against a New Mexico man who allegedly tried to burn down a San Bernardino County church preschool while children and school employees were inside, officials announced.
That same day, they tried to burn down a strip mall, officials stated.
There are two counts of attempted property destruction by fire against Jonathan A. Barajas Nava, 36, of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Nava was arrested on April 24 and charged in state court before a federal criminal case was brought against him. Nava made his initial appearance in the federal case on May 8 and was ordered detained pending trial.
He is scheduled for arraignment on May 28 in federal court in Riverside.
According to an affidavit previously filed with a criminal complaint in this case, on April 24, Nava tried to burn down the Retreat Church and Yucaipa Christian Preschool by pouring an ignitable liquid on the church preschool’s entrance and lighting it on fire.
There were 48 preschoolers and 14 staff members inside the church preschool at the time, but no one was injured.
That same day, Nava allegedly tried to burn down a Yucaipa strip mall by pouring an ignitable liquid on the building’s gas meters and then lighting the gas meters on fire.
Nava is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
If convicted of both charges, Nava faces up to 40 years in federal prison.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Peter Dahlquist and Austin D. Young of the Riverside Branch Office are prosecuting this case.