Accused Salem Satanic Temple Arsonist Arraigned

Salem MA

13 June, 2022

1:15 PM

Description

SALEM, MA — The 42-year-old Chelsea man accused of setting fire to the front entrance of the Salem Satanic Temple Friday night was arraigned in Salem District Court on Monday, while Temple officials assessed the damage to the building this weekend and how to go about reopening the church and art gallery. Police said Daniel Lucey told them that he traveled to Salem to commit a "hate crime" by dousing the front entrance of the temple with a flammable liquid and igniting it. WBZ-TV's Louisa Moller reported on Monday that Lucey told the judge that he wanted to represent himself against the charges but then acquiesced to the judge's recommendation that he be given a court-appointed defense attorney. Moller reported that inside Lucey's backpack Friday night, police said they found a bible, two quarts of lighter fluid, sticks and a copy of the Constitution. Lucey was charged with arson, civil rights violations and destruction of a place of worship. Lucey was ordered held without bail on Monday until his next hearing. Satanic Temple co-founder and spokesperson Lucien Greaves said in a podcast recorded to discuss the incident with supporters this weekend that by the time he was alerted to the fire and checked the security camera Friday night at about 10: "All I saw was flames." He said the extent of the damage was "impressively minimal based on what I expected from that" but that the front deck and the front door will still likely have to be replaced. "We're hoping we can put in a temporary entrance and be open in short time," he said. There were no injuries reported. Greaves said he provided Salem police with the security footage when they arrived and that the suspect later returned to the scene wearing the same blue baseball camp and T-shirt that said "God across it in big, bold letters" that he had on in the earlier footage. The Satanic Temple lists its mission statement as: "To encourage benevolence and empathy among all people, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practice common sense, oppose injustice, and undertake noble pursuits." Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll condemned the arson in a statement on Saturday: "Salem is a welcoming place, and the actions of this individual are not reflective of who we are or our values as a community." The Satanic Temple is soliciting donations to go toward repair costs here with suggested donation amounts of $20, $66, $100, $250 or $666. (Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)