Plymouth man burned Pride and BLM flags, seriously damaged South Shore church, police say

The suspect allegedly caused tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage.

A Plymouth man is facing a variety of charges after allegedly vandalizing a Kingston church and destroying a Black Lives Matter flag and a Pride flag that were hanging there.

Jonathan White, 43, is set to be arraigned in Plymouth District Court. He was arrested after returning to the scene of the crime, Kingston police said.

Officers responded to First Parish Unitarian Church on Main Street early Thursday morning. They found that someone had illegally entered the building and caused “significant” damage. This included tearing off multiple handmade 200-year-old shutters, smashing antique glass windows, and spraying a fire extinguisher throughout the building, police said. Officials estimate that tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage was done.

White allegedly set fire to the two flags, which were outside the building. In the process he charred parts of the church itself, officials said.

Through their initial investigation, police identified White as a suspect. Investigators said they found multiple pieces of evidence connected to him at the scene.

He then returned to the church and watched officers process the scene, Kingston police said. Returning to the scene of a crime is common for arsonists, officials added.

A detective noticed him and attempted to detain him. White yelled at the detective before fleeing in his vehicle. He struck a sign in the process. A patrolman found White soon afterwards, pulled him over, and detained him, officials said.

Police are asking anyone who lives in the 200-250 block of Main Street, or the side streets nearby, to review any security footage they have from between midnight and 6:30 a.m. Thursday. Residents should look to see if their cameras captured a white 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe equipped with a spotlight outside the driver’s door, or any other suspicious activity.

An investigation remains ongoing. Members of the Massachusetts State Police’s Hate Crimes unit are involved. White has not officially been charged with a hate crime, but police say that there is a potential for hate crime charges to be filed in the future.

Anyone with relevant information is being urged to contact Detective Lieutenant Michael Skowyra of Kingston police at [email protected] or by calling 781-585-0523 ext. 6662.