Shock at arrest of deputy’s son in black church fires

OPELOUSAS, La. (AP) — No known criminal record. No known history of violence. One friend called him an introverted animal lover. Another said he was a “very sweet guy” with a racially diverse group of friends.

But 21-year-old Holden Matthews is now the lone suspect in the torching of three African American churches in and around Opelousas, Louisiana.

The arrest of the son of a local sheriff’s deputy shocked two friends who spoke to The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, pastors of the churches expressed relief that the mystery had apparently been solved.

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McGill reported from New Orleans and Opelousas. Associated Press writers Stacey Plaisance in Opelousas, and Michael Kunzelman in College Park, Maryland, contributed to this report.