CRIME SOLVERS Mercer County

A church arson is the focus of Mercer County Crime Solvers this week:
Crime: Arson and burglary.Location: Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1001 Wheatland Road, Shenango Township.Details: Police are investigating two attempts to burn down the church during the night hours of Feb. 6 and Feb. 12. In the first case, someone left a small propane torch burning against a wooden wall stud. The torch burned a hole the size of a baseball through the stud but the fire didn't spread. In the second case, someone cut the hose on a propane heater, allowing the gas to escape and fill the church, then started a trash fire on the unfinished church altar in an apparent attempt to ignite the gas fumes. That fire burned about 5 feet up the wall but then went out.Contact: Call Crime Solvers between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at (724) 347-HELP. Callers do not have to give their names.Reward: Crime Solvers, a nonprofit organization, offers cash rewards of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of anyone responsible for a serious crime in Mercer County.