Accused of incorrectly using the property of the church that employs him to post bail, a Vacaville pastor will have his case decided by a jury in late May.
Mark Lewis, pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church, appeared on April 16 in Solano County Superior Court. According to The Vacaville Reporter, he pleaded not guilty to “…charges of perjury, attempting to record a false or forged instrument and theft by false pretenses.” Attorneys in the case agreed to hold the jury trial on May 28.
Prosecutors at a probable cause hearing last month presented evidence concerning the ownership of two church properties Lewis had used to secure his bail after Vacaville Police arrested him on suspicion of arson. The bail bondsman’s insurance company examined records related to the church properties and found reason to believe that Lewis was not authorized to use the properties as collateral.
Lewis’s legal saga began on January 9 when he was arrested by Vacaville Police for allegedly firebombing his ex-girlfriend’s home. The specific charges in that case to which Lewis has pleaded not guilty include “arson of and inhabited structure, stalking, possession of an explosive material,” according to The Vacaville Reporter. A probable cause hearing in Lewis’s arson case has been scheduled for June 2.
He is still lodged in the Solano County Jail with his bail set at $575,000.
Read More:
The Reporter: Vacaville pastor pleads not guilty
CrimeVoice: Pastor Suspected of Firebombing Gets No Bail Reduction
