The man who set fire to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in downtown Salem will serve more than three years in prison after being convicted of first-degree arson.
The fire burned a hole in the roof of the church sacristies and main sanctuary, leaving extensive smoke damage.
Billy J. Sweeten, 49, was sentenced Monday in Marion County Circuit Court after he pleaded no contest to the arson charge. He faces 38 months in state prison and three years of probation after that.
He also pleaded no contest to a charge of first-degree criminal trespass, found guilty of damaging computer equipment at Salem Hospital on Aug. 28, a few days before the church fire. He was sentenced to 30 months, to be served concurrently with his arson sentence.
His address last August was listed in court records as the Union Gospel Mission in Salem.
Sweeten lit the church’s recycling dumpster on fire before 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 31, 2023, according to investigators. The fire burned the roof of the church sacristies and main sanctuary, leaving extensive smoke damage.
Fire commanders responding from the Salem Fire Department soon added additional alarms to summon more crews and equipment. The fire eventually went to five alarms, the first time that has happened in Salem in recent years.
It took around 90 minutes to get the fire under control, Brian Carrara, deputy fire chief, said at the time. At noon that day, over 100 members of the congregation met in the church parking lot for outdoor mass under tents and umbrellas.
Sweeten was arrested that afternoon.
After the fire, the church held Mass outside under tents until October, when they moved to the school gym. Until Thanksgiving, office workers bundled up because the damage broke the conjoined heating systems in the old building.
Earlier this month, St. Joseph’s posted photos on Facebook updating the progress of roof repairs at the main sanctuary.
“The sand blasting of the walls is complete, and the workers continue to work on the roof to make sure everything is sealed before the rainy season. Saint Joseph, our patron, pray for us and those working on our church,” the post read.
The loss to the building totaled over $1 million, according to Carrara.
The church listed a fundraising goal of $100,000 for the damage, which also required specialty cleaning of the pipe organ, frescos and stained glass for smoke damage.
Father Jeff Meeuwsen, who began leading the Salem church two months before the fire, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about repairs or the sentencing.
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Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251.
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Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
