Man charged with burglary of churches on night of fire
More charges possible against Kevin Michael Ravelin; in addition to United Methodist charge, he is also cited for arson at Presbyterian church.
More charges possible against Kevin Michael Ravelin; in addition to United Methodist charge, he is also cited for arson at Presbyterian church.
By JEFF ABELL
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A 28-year-old Burlington man was arrested Wednesday for burglary as part of an investigation into a fire that gutted a historic Burlington church over the weekend.
Kevin Michael Ravelin, 235 S. 10th St., was arrested at 1:45 p.m. at the Bur-lington Police Department for first-degree burglary in connection with a Sunday morning fire at the 118-year-old First United Methodist Church.
During a Wednesday afternoon press conference, Burlington police Lt. Darren Grimshaw said Ravelin also may be charged with arson pending the outcome of the fire investigation.
“We are confident he is responsible for the burglary of the Methodist church. We are waiting, however, to see if a subsequent charge of arson can be filed. We have no information at this point that anyone else was involved,” Grimshaw said.
“We want to give the team at the Methodist church plenty of time to determine what the cause of the fire is. We want to do that before we make any more arrests,” he added.
In addition, Ravelin was arrested Wednesday for first-degree burglary and second-degree arson for allegedly breaking into the nearby First Presbyterian Church, then setting a small fire inside the church sanctuary, which caused no damage to the church.
Police learned of the break-in at 3:30 a.m. after a motion alarm went off. Officers arrived at the scene at 3:50 a.m. and found the rear entrance from the alley unsecured.
Food items were taken during the burglary, according to a Presbyterian church official.
Grimshaw declined to speculate on a motive.
Ravelin became a suspect in the Methodist church fire following his arrest at 4:15 a.m. Sunday at Hardee’s at 605 S. 10th St. in Burlington.
According to court records, Des Moines County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to Hardee’s after a security alarm was activated.
At the scene, deputies observed Ravelin exiting a door near the drive-through window carrying a plastic sack and a garbage bag.
The sack was from Hy-Vee and contained a two-liter bottle of soda and potato chips, authorities said. Inside the garbage bag, deputies found “a block of cheese, a roast, eight onions and a package of tortilla shells,” according to court records.
Police say Ravelin admitted to entering the restaurant without permission through a door that was propped open. He was arrested for third-degree burglary.
Later that day, Ravelin was released on his own recognizance pending a future court appearance.
On Wednesday, Ravelin returned to the Des Moines County jail where he is being held on $78,000 bond.
“He became a person of interest due to the timing of the Hardee’s burglary,” Grimshaw said. “He didn’t have accelerants on him when he was arrested.”
The cause of the Methodist church fire remained undetermined Wednesday as investigators began sorting through the charred rubble.
“We will hopefully have a good idea within the next few days on the origin of the fire,” said Rob Elder of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Burlington firefighters were dispatched at 2:41 a.m. Sunday to the Methodist church after receiving a call that smoke and heat detectors had been activated in the building.
At the scene, firefighters encountered heavy smoke and flames on the first floor and in the basement of the building, according to fire officials.
It took about five hours to contain the blaze that swept through the church at 421 Washington St. in downtown Burlington.
The church was built in 1889 out of purplish Jasper granite. The sanctuary was extensively remodeled in 2000.
The church may have been built too well, according to investigators.
“We got inside the church early this morning and we continue to move debris. The challenge is that the church was very well constructed and there are large timber beams that have fallen down inside the church,” Elder said.
Investigators will return to the fire scene this morning. The street outside the Methodist church, Washington Street from Fourth and Fifth streets, will remain closed until the fire investigation is concluded.
The Presbyterian church was reopened to parishioners Wednesday with access through a rear entrance.
Ravelin is scheduled to make an initial appearance this morning in Des Moines County Associate Court.
A search of Iowa Courts online showed Ravelin has only been convicted of traffic offenses. Police declined to comment whether Ravelin had a criminal record in another state.
Maj. Dan Luttenegger, acting Burlington police chief, commended federal, state and local law enforcement officials for Ravelin’s arrest.
“Nothing substitutes teamwork when working a case of this magnitude and that is evident with today’s swift arrest,” he said.
Tags: burglary, Food