Four teenagers charged in connection with Poplar Bluff church arson

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Arson and weapons-related charges were filed Monday against four Poplar Bluff teenagers accused of throwing Molotov cocktails into a local church and then setting the church on fire when the devices didn't work.

Robert Benjamin Rushin, 18; Andrew Storm McClure, 19; Zachary Edward Surque, 18; and Dylan W. Causbie, 17, were charged with second-degree arson and unlawful use of a weapon by Butler County Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Barbour. The teens' bonds were set at $50,000.

Rushin, Surque and McClure appeared Monday before Associate Circuit Judge John Bloodworth for arraignment. Bloodworth ordered the teens to appear at 9 a.m. today with their attorneys.

Rushin and Surque remained in the Butler County jail Tuesday, while McClure was released on bond Monday.

Causbie, who was released Sunday following an interview with officers, had not been arrested on the charges by press time Tuesday.

The complaints on file with the court allege on Sunday, the teens "knowingly damaged a building consisting of Fellowship General Baptist Church at 3581 N. Westwood, Poplar Bluff, Mo., and did so by starting a fire" and they "knowingly possessed an incendiary, to-wit: a Molotov cocktail, with the purpose to possess an explosive weapon."

The four are charged in connection with a fire early Sunday morning, which damaged the church's youth room. The fire was reported just before 3:45 a.m. to the Butler County Sheriff's Department.

"Preliminary scene examination revealed that the cause of the fire was incendiary, as a Molotov cocktail was found [intact] inside the building," Lt. David Sutton said in his probable cause statement.

As the investigation progressed Sunday, witnesses were interviewed and numerous security surveillance systems were reviewed, which produced four possible suspects -- Rushin, Surque, Causbie and McClure.

During police interviews, the teens told officers they had purchased five glass bottles of Perrier water at Walmart Supercenter, Sutton said.

"They filled these bottles with gasoline, and placed paper towels in the bottle necks," Sutton said.

The teens then went to the church, where "Andrew McClure broke one window out with a rock," while "Dylan Causbie broke another window with a rock," Sutton explained. "They lit the paper towels on fire; and Rushin, Causbie and Surque each threw one Molotov cocktail into the building through a broken window."

Causbie, Sutton said, further told officers they later drove past the church, found it was not on fire and realized the bottles were still inside.

"They returned to the church and dumped gasoline into the building through the broken windows," Sutton said. "Zachary Surque lit the gasoline through the windows, igniting a fire.

"The group left the scene, returned to Rushin's residence and went to sleep."

Surque reportedly requested an attorney, which ended the interview with him.