Black Church Burned Mississippi

"Vote Trump" is spray painted on the side of the fire-damaged Hopewell Baptist Church in Greenville, Miss., after a fire on Nov. 1.

(Rogelio V. Solis, Associated Press file photo via AP)

Andrew McClinton

JACKSON, Mississippi -- A member of a predominantly black church is accused of setting it on fire and painting "Vote Trump" on the side in early November, reports say.

Andrew McClinton, 45, of Leland, Miss., was arrested Wednesday and has been charged with one count of first-degree arson of a place of worship, according to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. McClinton has not yet been charged with a hate crime.

"The charges that he received today, it was not a hate crime but we do not know if the federal government will pursue that as such because we do not have a motive yet," Kenya Collins, a spokesperson for the city of Greenville, Miss., where the church is located, tells the Clarion-Ledger.

McClinton is being detained until his first court appearance.

Warren Strain of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation declined to say what McClinton's motive might be, the Clarion-Ledger reports, because the investigation is still under way.

"We do not believe it was politically motivated. There may have been some efforts to make it appear politically motivated," Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney, who is also the fire marshal, tells the Associated Press.

The fire at Hopewell Baptist Church was set at about 9:15 p.m. on Nov. 1, CNN reports. While it was put out quickly, the words "Vote Trump" were found spray-painted on the side of the building.

According to WJTV Channel 12, investigators are still trying to determine if McClinton was responsible for spray-painting the building.

The Associated Press reports McClinton was released from prison in 2012 after serving eight years for armed robbery. Prior to that, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for attempted robbery.

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