GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Paw Paw resident has been charge with arson after setting a Planned Parenthood clinic on fire in Kalamazoo on Sunday, July 31 around 4 p.m.
If convicted, the suspect who has been identified as 25-year-old Joshua Brereton, faces up to 20 years in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years.
The criminal complaint was filed by the office of U.S. Attorney Mark Totten.
After an investigation by police, they found through surveillance video that Brereton allegedly used combustible fuel to set bushes on fire outside of the building after getting past fences.
Brereton also lit a fireplace starter log on fire, police say, and then threw the burning log onto the roof of the building. He then fled the scene.
Brereton had allegedly purchased torch fuel, a Duraflame starter log and utility lighter just an hour before the fire at a Walmart in Paw Paw. He also was said to have bought a hat that's similar to the one the suspect is wearing in the released photo.
Before the fire, the criminal complaint alleges that Brereton had posted a video to his YouTube channel, where he referred to abortion as "genocide," in the video. He also encouraged others to join the fight and not be afraid to "step out of your comfort zone."
Brereton's arrest was possible with collaboration between the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and KDPS.
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