Man Indicted on Arson Charges at Jehovah’s Witness Halls in Washington State

A Washington state man who is already in federal custody on weapons and hate crime charges has been indicted in a series of arsons at Jehovah’s Witness kingdom halls, authorities announced Wednesday.

Seattle U.S. Attorney Nick Brown said in a news release that the new charges against 50-year-old Mikey Diamond Starrett, also known as Michael Jason Layes, are part of the Justice Department’s efforts to target hate crimes, which have been on the rise nationally.

Starrett, who describes himself as a longtime wildlife biologist and wetland scientist in court papers and in his online resume, was arrested in September 2021 on charges that he shot up a Jehovah’s Witness hall in Yelm, near Olympia, in 2018 and that he unlawfully possessed a modified shotgun.

Read the source article at apnews.com