Piano-Playing Church Arsonist Busted

By Robert L.  McCullough
on Friday, November 16th, 2012 at 2:08 pm

Santa Barbara County - In the early morning hours of November 15^th, a fire alarm call brought Santa Maria Police Department patrol officers to the smoke-filled St. John Neumann Catholic Church in the city’s downtown area.

According to Santa Maria PD spokesman Sgt. Jack Dunn, upon seeing the smoke, officers promptly summoned Santa Maria Fire Department units, and upon their arrival “they knocked the fire down quickly.”  Subsequent investigation at the scene revealed a shattered glass door “which was the apparent point of entry”, Dunn reported to the media.  Evidence of extensive vandalism, including the destruction of religious statuary which had been knocked to the ground.  The statue of St. John Neumann had been “desecrated and shattered,” as detailed in Dunn’s report.

The fire, once extinguished, was determined to have been intentionally set in the rear area of the church with collection baskets and liturgical books used as a primary source of incendiary fuel.

Continuing their investigation and noting extensive damage within the church itself, officers followed the sounds of music oddly emanating from the rectory, where they found 24-year-old Amanda Ruiz playing a piano, and apparently under the influence of a controlled substance.  “Whatever she was on gave her a lot of strength,” Dunn indicated, adding that “it took several officers to subdue her.”  Ruiz was ultimately taken into custody at the scene where officers discovered a cache of narcotics paraphernalia nearby in the church.  Ruiz was arrested and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of burglary, arson, and felony vandalism.

Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking, St. John Neumann Church

Read more:

KCOY: Santa Maria Church Target of Burglary, Arson and Vandalism

Noozhawk: Woman Arrested in Burglary, Arson at Santa Maria Church

Piano-Playing Church Arsonist Busted1.0101

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This story is filed under Headline Story, Santa Barbara.

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One Response to “Piano-Playing Church Arsonist Busted”

1. Piano-Playing Church Arsonist Busted – Crime Voice | Wayne E. Seelinger says:

   November 16, 2012 at 7:14 pm

   [...] here: Piano-Playing Church Arsonist Busted – Crime Voice This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged arsonist, arsonist-busted, city, [...]

Site last updated May 22, 2013 @ 1:56 pm; This content last updated November 16, 2012 @ 2:08 pm

Site last updated May 22, 2013 @ 1:56 pm; This content last updated November 16, 2012 @ 2:08 pm