Sex offender said ‘Jesus chose him’ to set fire to LDS church in Mississippi, records say
A convicted sex offender was motivated by his disdain for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints when he vandalized and attempted to burn down the LDS Church in Wiggins, according to court records.
A federal grand jury has indicted Stefan Pete Day Rowold on two counts of arson, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Rowold is accused twice in July of malicious destruction of religious property through the use of fire explosives and other means, according to FBI Special Agent Stephen N. Fortunato. The crimes occurred on the Fourth of July and two days later on July 7.
Church members discovered the vandalism when they arrived for Sunday services on July 7.
After his arrest, Rowold attempted to defend his actions, the agent said. Rowold, he said, claimed he “had been reborn to Christ and felt called to action” because he believes LDS is responsible for “trafficking and molesting children,” the agent said.
Rowold told the agent “Jesus chose him to do his will on Earth...”
According to Fortunato, Rowold first broke into the church on July 4 by smashing a glass door with a cinder block. Once inside, the agent said Rowold graffitied the walls with hateful messages like “Child Molesters,” “Cowards,” and “False Prophets.”
Afterward, Rowold gathered up hymnals and paintings, put them in a room, set them on fire, and unsuccessfully attempted to get the fire to spread to burn down the building. The fire burned out on its own.
Rowold returned to the church later on July 7 and attempted to burn the church down again by attempting to set fire to a wall, the records say.
Wiggins police first took Rowold into custody after noticing him near the church. Initially, Rowold was held for failure to register as a sex offender, but police later tacked on additional state charges of burglary and arson.
According to the National Sex Offender Registry, Rowold was convicted of molestation in 2020 in Michigan and had repeatedly failed to register as a sex offender in Mississippi and elsewhere.
