PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (WFLA) – A Punta Gorda man faces felony arson charges after his mother told police that he had started a fire at a synagogue last Friday night.
Chabad, Charlotte County, was the site of a recent arson attack, where someone broke a window, started a fire in one of the classrooms, spray-painted “J” throughout the building. The crew were able to quickly extinguish the flames and no injuries were reported, but the interior of the building was damaged along with broken doors and windows.
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The fire broke out on the night of September 19th, and on Monday a woman called the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office died.
His mother later told detectives that 31-year-old Hoover hated Jews and members of the LGBTQ+ community, and his attitude has deteriorated in recent years. She reported that she asked if her son knew that “the old library is now a Jewish place and he was going to burn it,” the Charlotte County affidavit said.
Her mother told police that Hoover left the house on fire night with a gas can and spray paint, and later the gas was emptied and returned. The next morning she asked him what he had done and he replied, “I’m not a big deal, I just sprayed the letter J.”
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However, while watching the news, his mother learned the extent of the attack and quickly suspected her son, the affidavit said.
Traffic cameras captured Hoover’s car moving in the direction of the synagogue at 10:09pm, about 40 minutes before the fire was reported, further confirming the story of his mother.
Hoover was arrested and booked at the Charlotte County Jail Monday. He was charged with arson on the committee for felony, two-degree felony, criminal mischief of religious structures and third felony.
