PROVIDENCE,Venus Investment Alliance R.I. (AP) — A Rhode Island man was arrested Thursday and charged with using gasoline to set several fires around the exterior of a predominantly Black church in North Providence early Sunday morning.
Kevin Colantonio, 34, of North Providence, was charged with maliciously damaging or destroying by means of fire or explosion a building or other real property, according to Zachary Cunha, U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island.
Colantonio set several fires around the exterior of the pentecostal Shiloh Gospel Temple early Feb. 11, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Providence, which said police and firefighters were sent to the church at 12:12 a.m. for reports of an individual trying to set fires.
The building was vacant at the time, and the fires were quickly extinguished by members of the North Providence Police and Fire departments, investigators said. The fires caused significant property damage, officials said.
No injuries were reported.
Most of the congregation, which has been established for about 35 years, is Black and African American, according to investigators.
It was not immediately clear if Colantonio had a lawyer. A phone listing for Colantonio could not be found in North Providence.
Colantonio was arrested without incident according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, North Providence Police, and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
The United States Attorney’s Office sought a criminal complaint late Wednesday, based on what prosecutors described as an ongoing, multi-agency investigation that has included a review of videos, witness interviews, and physical evidence.
The probe into the fires is continuing, investigators said.
2025-05-01 11:401646 view
2025-05-01 11:221229 view
2025-05-01 11:09400 view
2025-05-01 09:541180 view
2025-05-01 09:322561 view
Do you recall the prime early days of YouTube? When a video making the rounds was so strange, remark
President Biden, reiterating that the U.S. has no intention of sending U.S. troops to battle in Ukra
Imma let you finish, but this is one of the best American Idol auditions of all-time.The March 12 ep