Darion Ray Sexton was sentenced on Wednesday to 39 months in prison for a hate crime charge in connection with a fire he intentionally set to a church in Loveland last year. Police in Loveland arrested Sexton after the fire at the church on Jan. 19, 2023 .
According to investigators, Sexton admitted that he set the fire by throwing two Molotov cocktails at the church, one at the front door and the other at the basement. He also admitted that he was motivated to set the fire due to the religious character of the church and that he intended to destroy the church.
Sexton pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime charge on May 5, 2023.
“This defendant has now been held accountable for his deliberate attack on the church,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in a statement. “No one should live in fear because of their religious beliefs. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously prosecute those who seek to destroy houses of worship and interfere with the fundamental right to practice religion freely.”