San Marcos teen charged after fire at Austin synagogue on Halloween
Austin Fire Department arson investigators have charged a San Marcos teenager in connection with a fire set at a synagogue in Central Austin on Halloween night.
Franklin Barrett Sechrist, 18, of San Marcos was arrested on suspicion of arson, a first-degree felony. According to an arrest affidavit, surveillance footage taken from multiple viewpoints shows the suspect driving around the Shoal Creek neighborhood, where Congregation Beth Israel is located, two nights before the incident.
“It gives us some sense of relief to learn of this arrest, but we are staying vigilant,” Rabbi Steve Folberg said in a statement sent to congregation members. “Across Central Texas and beyond, we are seeing a spike in attacks against Jews.”
Surveillance footage obtained by investigators shows a man carrying a 5-gallon fuel container the night of Oct. 31 as he walked onto the campus of the Reform Jewish temple in the 3900 block of Shoal Creek Boulevard near 35th Street, the affidavit says.
The man then left the synagogue, still carrying the container, and drove away in what investigators said looked like a dark-colored Jeep SUV, according to the affidavit.
Austin firefighters responded around 9:05 p.m. to the fire and quickly put out the flames, which were contained to the doors and portico of the sanctuary, officials said. No one was injured. The preschool and private schools that operate out of the campus were not affected by the fire.
Additional video shows a man driving through the parking lot of the synagogue’s campus on Oct. 28, the affidavit says. Around 8 p.m. that night, the video shows a dark-colored SUV entering the north parking lot closest to the sanctuary and driving away shortly after.
More:Rally calls for unity to support Jewish community after fire set at Central Austin synagogue
Minutes later, the video shows the vehicle driving through a nearby roundabout, and around 8:20 p.m., a dark-colored Jeep Cherokee with recognizable Texas license plates hits a curb of the Child Development Center. The driver shines a flashlight through the front door and drives away about 30 seconds later, according to the affidavit.
Investigators ran the license plate and determined its make, model and registration information. Earlier this week on Monday, law enforcement observed Barrett Sechriest driving the vehicle and wearing a watch on his right wrist that matched what was seen in the surveillance footage, the affidavit states.
The Austin Fire Department and the FBI are continuing to investigate the incident.
Recent anti-Semitic incidents across the city
On Nov. 1, a day after the fire at Congregation Beth Israel, more than two dozen faith leaders and clergy members from across Austin were joined by community leaders at a rally that called for unity following a recent spate of anti-Semitic incidents across the city.
The first of those incidents in recent months was at Anderson High School in West Austin on Oct. 22. Students discovered the campus had been vandalized with multiple swastikas, messages with homophobic language and racist slurs against the Black community.
The second incident occurred Oct….
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