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A 17-year-old boy whose parents are convicted arsonists is the prime suspect of the Leesburg church fire investigation.
Timothy Grevenstuk of Leesburg was detained late Tuesday night on an obstruction of justice charge. He is being held in a South Bend juvenile detention facility.
A hearing will be held this afternoon to file a petition alleging delinquency. Prosecutor David Kolbe will file the petition on two counts, obstruction of justice and intimidation.
Kolbe will ask that Grevenstuk continue to be detained on these charges while the arson investigation continues. He will also ask that Grevenstuk be tried as an adult, not a juvenile.
Grevenstuk reportedly refused to speak to investigators Tuesday afternoon about the fire. He was later taken into custody.
According to the prosecutor, a critical witness in the arson investigation came forward Tuesday and said that Grevenstuk told her he set the fire.
Grevenstuk is also being charged with intimidation because the witness said Grevenstuk threatened to murder her if she talked to police about his alleged confession.
The arson investigation into the blaze that destroyed Leesburg Grace Brethren Church is continuing. Investigators have not received lab reports or finished interviews.
The prosecutor said he plans to charge the suspect with arson causing bodily injury since a fireman was injured fighting the fire. The maximum sentence for the Class A felony is 60 years.
The prosecutor said it appears the arson was incidental to a burglary of the church.
The parents, Sheila Kay and Michael Grevenstuk, were convicted last summer of arson in the 1994 fire that destroyed their Milford home. They were charged with Class A felony arson, but through plea agreements were sentenced on Class C felonies.
Mr. Grevenstuk was given a four-year suspended prison term because of poor health. Mrs. Grevenstuk was sentenced to four years, with two years suspended. Her sentence was modified and she served only six weeks.
Kolbe said at the time the Grevenstuks were sentenced that he believed sentencing them to prison would help deter arson in the county.
The fire was set May 2, 1994, after gasoline was poured throughout the home. When firefighters arrived at their house, it was padlocked from the outside.
The case was also considered fraud since the couple burned their home in hopes of receiving an insurance settlement.
