Man Found Guilty Of Torching Jewish Scroll In Berkeley: DA

BERKELEY, CA — A 45-year-old man has been convicted of arson after setting fire to a religious scroll in Berkeley earlier this year, prosecutors said.

David William Denton used a pocket torch to burn a Jewish mezuzah scroll affixed to the doorway of a religious study center on Bancroft Way in Berkeley on Feb. 6, Alameda County prosecutors said in a statement on Tuesday.

The fire damaged the religious scroll. The extent of the damage, however, was not clear.

Denton was charged with arson afterwards, and jurors recently found him guilty of the crime, prosecutors said on Tuesday.

"Targeting and burning a sacred religious symbol is an act that can cause harm far beyond the physical damage itself," District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson said in a statement following the verdict. "People of every faith should be able to practice their religion and gather in their communities without fear of intimidation."

Denton faces a maximum of three years in prison during his sentencing on Sept. 3. He must also register as an arson offender, prosecutors said.