Arson Suspect Charged After Setting El Paso Scottish Rite Temple On Fire in Texas

Noah Ochoa was charged after setting the El Paso Scottish Rite Temple on fire in Texas. Reports say the arson suspect was also on bond for aggravated assault of a public official.

Noah Ochoa, 30, was arrested and faced charges of Arson of Property used in Interstate Commerce after setting the El Paso Scottish Rite Temple on fire last July 24. Reportedly, the arson suspect forced his way to the temple, poured an ignitable liquid on the ground, and started the fire with a lighter.

An article in KVIA states that the investigators from the El Paso Fire Department recommended the case to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Therefore, two days after the arson suspect set the temple on fire, an ATF special agent started looking into the incident.

Reports say when the special agent investigated the surveillance video from the night of the incident, a man driving a gray sedan was discovered. The vehicle was reportedly distinctive that only two such vehicles are registered in the city of El Paso.

Upon visiting one of the two addresses listed in the registration, the same vehicle was allegedly seen outside the residence. Thereafter, the arson suspect was narrowed down to Ochoa, who is a relative of the vehicle’s owner.

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Arson Suspect On Bond With Separate Crime

According to Burge, during the investigation, the special agent also discovered that the arson suspect was on bond for aggravated assault of a public official. Upon contacting the bond officer involved, one of the arson suspect’s relatives allegedly messaged that the suspect could not meet up after suffering second-degree burns from a “campfire accident”.

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