Church fire suspect taken into custody in western Arizona

PHOENIX — A man was taken into custody over the weekend in connection with an arson incident at a church in Lake Havasu City, authorities announced Monday.

Keith Gensamer, 49, was arrested Sunday afternoon about two miles south of the city, according to Lake Havasu City officials.

The case began around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, when the Lake Havasu City Police Department received a report of a burglary and fire alarm at Calvary Church.

Responding officers discovered signs of forced entry and an active fire inside the church. After the blaze was extinguished, investigators determined the fire had been intentionally set, officials said.

Deputies from the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office, along with an officer from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, later tracked down Gensamer’s trailer using information provided by Lake Havasu City police.

SWAT teams were activated, and Gensamer was found inside the trailer and arrested without incident.

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