Florida man charged with arson for setting Chabad classroom ablaze before Rosh Hashanah

Blake Richard Hoover, 31, was arrested Monday on charges of arson and criminal mischief. Photo by Punta Gorda Police Department

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(JTA) — A Florida man has been arrested in connection with a fire last week in a classroom at a Chabad in Florida, days before Rosh Hashanah.

Blake Richard Hoover, 31, of Punta Gorda, was arrested by local police Monday and charged with arson and criminal mischief. Those charges were also enhanced with hate crime charges, according to the Punta Gorda Police Department.

According to the criminal complaint, Hoover was identified after his mother, Kelly, saw reports of the blaze at the Chabad of Charlotte County in Punta Gorda, Florida, and thought that her son may be responsible.

During the incident Friday night, traces of fuel were found both inside and outside of the charred window of the children’s classroom, and the letter “J” was spray painted in three areas outside of the building.

Kelly Hoover told police that the evening of the arson, her son had returned home with an empty spray paint can as well as an empty gas can that had gone missing earlier in the night. She also told police that Hoover “has a hatred toward homosexuals and Jewish people that’s become worse over the past years,” according to court documents.

“This type of crime will not be tolerated in Sarasota County,” wrote Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt Hoffman in a post on X. “Any criminal activity directed at religious schools or institutions will be met with the full force and capability of this agency.”

If convicted on all counts, Hoover faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Florida.