The sounds of worship and praise filled the sanctuary of the Brocton Tri-City Parish in New York Sunday as church-goers consecrated a new church building. An arsonist destroyed their previous house of worship four years ago. Video of the 2013 fire is posted to YouTube.
According to a report from WGRZ, the man who set the building on fire remains in jail. Chautauqua Today identifies the arsonist as Daniel Frey, of Dunkirk. Court records show Frey was arrested March 2015. Judge Paul Wojtaszek sentenced Frey in 2016 to four years in prison for third-degree arson. Conditions of his sentence stipulate that his sentence could be extended depending on his conduct while in prison.
The church was established in 1903. The Post-Journal reports the church building was home to Brocton’s Salem Lutheran, Brocton’s Methodist and Portland’s Methodist churches, which consolidated in the 1980s. The fire rendered the building a total loss.