Arrest made in Augusta County church arson

Special agents with the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation Appomattox Field Office arrested a Crimora man on Tuesday in connection with a fire at the Hildebrand Mennonite Church in Augusta County.

Paul L. Cupp, 36, of Crimora was arrested without incident at his residence on Meadow Rue Lane following the execution of a search warrant. Cupp is charged with one count of maliciously burning or destroying an unoccupied church by fire or explosives. He was transported to the Middle River Regional Jail in Verona.  The Augusta County Fire Department, Augusta County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms assisted with the arrest.

At approximately 10:47 p.m. on Saturday, a state police arson investigator was called to investigate a fire that took place at the Hildebrand Mennonite Church located in the 500 block of Hildebrand Church Road in northern Augusta County. A preliminary investigation showed the fire appeared to have started on the southwest side near the entrance to the church’s sanctuary. The church received superficial damage as a result. There were no injuries. The investigation remains on-going. At this time, there is no evidence linking this arson investigation to other fires in the area.

The joint efforts and cooperation between the Augusta County Fire Department, the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, citizens in the community and the state police arson investigator resulted in the identification and arrest of a suspect.

“This investigation is an example of good teamwork and working collaboratively to establish probable cause for an arrest in this investigation,” says Lt. Joseph A. Rader, Special Agent-In-Charge of the Virginia State Police Appomattox Field Office. “Our investigator received valuable information from citizens in the community and stayed aggressive which produced positive results.”