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Ohio man tried to burn down church that planned to host drag shows: Feds

An eastern Ohio man accused of trying to burn down a church that planned to host two drag shows earlier this month has been indicted by a federal grand jury.

Aimenn Penny, a 20-year-old from Alliance, about 60 miles south of Cleveland, attempted to burn down the Community Church of Chesterland on March 25, prosecutors said in court documents unsealed on Monday.

Penny attempted to burn the church to the ground after learning the church was holding multiple drag show events the following weekend, Justice officials said in a news release. He was initially arrested on March 31.

Penny is a member of the Ohio branch of “White Lives Matter,” a neo-Nazi group formed in 2015 “that is growing into a movement as more and more white supremacist groups take up its slogans and tactics,” according to The Southern Poverty Law Center.

According to the criminal complaint, members of the group, which is believed to have “racist, pro-Nazi, and homophobic views,” showed up at a drag queen event in Wadsworth, Ohio on March 11. They were “carrying swastika flags and shouting racial and homophobic slurs and ‘Heil Hitler.’”

Penny told federal investigators he tried to use Molotov cocktails because he was “trying to protect children and stop the drag show event,” according to the complaint.

Chester Township Police said they recovered broken pieces of a Denaka vodka bottle, as well as broken pieces of a Corona beer bottle — both bottles contained a cloth-type material that appeared to be pink or purple.

A burnt matchstick and a plastic spray bottle filled with gasoline were found near the door, the complaint stated.

Penny is charged with violating the Church Arson Prevention Act; using fire to commit a federal felony, the malicious use of explosive materials; and possessing a destructive device.

If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 50 years in prison.

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