Jury finds Hopkins guilty for Southside Baptist Church fire

A Wright County jury found Southside Baptist Church fire suspect, James Hopkins, guilty after a three day trial from May 29-31 presided by Wright County Judge Craig Carter.
His charges include arson and burglary for the incident that took place on June 10, 2023.
In his report, Wright County Prosecuting Attorney John Tyrrell said testimonies outlined how Hopkins arrived that fateful day in the area of the church hitchhiking from Rogersville looking for a possible Wright County sober living home for men, the significance of clothing he had in his belongings attributed to Southside Baptist Church and a bank bag with the church’s name on it.
The trial also included Mountain Grove Police officers testifying about the investigation. Fire investigation information was given by Fire Marshall Robbie Sterner and now retired Mountain Grove Fire Chief Mark Bushong.
In Tyrrell’s report, he noted that the case was “based on circumstantial evidence as no witness testified that they witnessed the defendant setting the fire. What he was wearing and how he came to Wright County was very important to the case.”
The jury deliberated for approximately an hour and returned verdicts of guilty on burglary and arson. Hopkins was also found guilty of trespassing in the first degree for staying in the Grove Square (formerly Richard Bros. Grocery Store) the night of the fire. 
During sentencing, Southside Baptist Church Pastor Josh Miller reportedly talked about the history and memories of the church. 
Detective Scott Linton testified to the seriousness and danger that firefighters, law enforcement and the community face in events like large structure fires.
The jury returned the maximum sentences available based on the verdicts: Six months trespassing in the first degree; seven years burglary in the second degree; and 15 years arson in the first degree. Sentencing will be conducted by Judge Carter on Sep. 5 in Wright County.
“I want to thank neighbors, Mountain Grove Fire Department and Mountain Grove Police Department for their respective roles in this trial,” said Wright County Prosecuting Attorney John Tyrrell in his report.
“This case was a complicated circumstantial case. It took three days, several exhibits and witnesses to paint the picture of what the Defendant did on June 10. I want to give a special thank you to Det. Linton, Chief (Danny) Bledsoe and Chief Bushong. Det. Linton conducted follow up investigation that helped put the case together. Chief Bledsoe conducted witness interviews and tracked down witnesses to make them available for trial. Chief Bushong discussed his years of experience and training in explaining the photos of the burned-out church to the jury and what the photos meant in regards to arson. I also want to the thank the jurors for their time and attention to hearing this case.”