Woman Arrested for Trying to Burn Down Baton Rouge Church

A woman was arrested on Sunday, November 7, and accused of trying to burn down a Baton Rouge church.

The Baton Rouge Fire Department said that 58-year-old Lizzie Baines has been charged with attempted arson of a religious building.

Security video showed a woman dousing the doors of the Oasis Christ Church youth building with a suspicious liquid around 3:00 am this past Wednesday, November 3.

"Whatever you can imagine gasoline smelling like," said church administrator Shalonda Golden. "It was a strong smell of that. Even hours after she was gone we could still smell it through the building."

The woman was then seen again on security footage later that morning pouring liquid on the doors and sidewalks to the main building.

"She didn't set a match that we saw on camera but just the intent behind it is scary because of what could have been," Golden said.

Church members say they're thankful there was no fire or major damage.

The Baton Rouge Fire Department is continuing to investigate and church officials are trying to figure out why the woman picked their church.

"We're just trying to find out...why they did it," Bishop Charles Wallace said.