Woman sentenced to probation for starting fire inside Jefferson City church

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Cole County judge sentenced a woman Tuesday for starting a fire inside a Jefferson City church.

In October, the Cole County Prosecutor's Office charged Anne-Marie Mullins with breaking into Christian Fellowship Church on Beck Street in late May 2021. Mullins pled guilty at a court hearing Tuesday to amended misdemeanor charges of third-degree arson, stealing, and second-degree property damage.

The prosecutor's office previously charged Mullins with second-degree arson, second-degree burglary, stealing, first-degree property damage, tampering with physical evidence, and tampering with computer equipment.

Cole County Judge Brian Stumpe sentenced Mullins to two years of unsupervised probation.

Jefferson City police responded to the church on June 1 after someone reported an open door. At the scene, officers reportedly found a cross inside the sanctuary that was burned.

Fingerprints found at the church by investigators linked Mullins to the fire, according to court documents.