Watsonville arsonist arrested for setting St. Patrick’s Church on fire

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION)- UPDATE OCTOBER 18 AT 2:45 PM PST- On Wednesday morning, Watsonville Police said they have arrested a suspected arsonist accused of causing upwards of $100,000 in damages to St. Patrick’s Church.

36- year-old Alberto Melgoza of Watsonville was arrested around 9:30 a.m. after setting the church on fire on Monday morning.

Officers were on scene with church officials to collect surveillance footage that ultimately led to Melgoza's arrest. Officers located Melgoza near Second Street and he was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail. He was booked on felony arson changes including vandalizing a place of worship.

Police said that Melgoza was arrested in June for setting Ave Maria Memorial Chapel on fire.

ORGINAL STORY

On Monday evening around 10 pm, firefighters in Watsonville responded to the report of a fire at Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church, per Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo.

Smoke was seen filling the air, and multiple firefighters worked to put out the flames. The cause of the fire is currently unknown, as is if anyone was in the church at the time of the fire.

The St. Patrick's Parish believes the cause was arson, and they have video proof of the incident.

"The fire occurred in the section of the wall between the piano and the organ. It damaged two stations of the cross, one stained glass window, probably the organ console, and potentially the digital piano," said the St. Patrick Parish. "There was a lot of water, and a company has already been hired to dry out the church. The carpet has been removed, and we’ll need to patch the roof where it was cut to help battle the fire."

The Parish says it will be at least two weeks until they can hold services again. Churchgoers will need to go to the Serra Center for daily services, and weekend services will be held at the gym.

Witnesses reported that the damage was bad.

This is a developing story.