CANONSBURG, Pa. (AP) -- A man allegedly set fire to a church five years ago because he was annoyed that its carillon rang at 9 a.m. every day, a church official and police said Thursday.
Nicholas Dano Jr., 33, of Washington, was already in jail this week awaiting trial on burglary charges when he was charged with arson Tuesday for allegedly setting a fire on June 8, 1999, at the United Presbyterian Church in Canonsburg.
He was being held in the Washington County jail on $25,000 bond, also charged with criminal mischief and risking a catastrophe. Authorities said they did not know who his attorney was.
Dano, who delivered newspapers early each morning, lived a half-block from the church and told friends that he was angry because church bells woke him up every morning, Washington County District Attorney John Pettit said.
Police believe Dano used gasoline to set a fire in the church's kitchen, which was the second fire in sixth months at the stately brick church in this factory town of about 8,700. The church is 134 years old but the congregation traces its history back to 1775, according to the church's Web site.
Dano was only charged in the second fire at the church. Pettit said police completed the case against Dano just before the five-year statute of limitations on that fire would have expired.
Canonsburg police Chief R.T. Bell would not say whether Dano was a suspect in the January 1999 fire or whether police are looking into any other suspects. Authorities could not have charged him in that fire because the statute of limitations expired.
Dano's father, Nicholas Dano, who lives about a mile from the church, said he had asked his son about the fires in 1999.
``He said he had nothing to do with it, but he lied all the time,'' said Nicholas Dano.
The father and son had grown apart during the past two years because Nicholas Dano Jr. seemed to be constantly in trouble with the law.
``I bailed him out twice; he never learned. It has been nothing but trouble. You can't keep track of it,'' Nicholas Dano said.
In the past year, the younger Dano has been arrested for credit card theft and a series of burglaries, authorities said. He is waiting trial on those charges.
The congregation had worried about a series of church arsons in southwestern Pennsylvania, so it had installed a security and fire-alarm system just months before the Jan. 27, 1999, fire, said Bill Hill, an elder at United Presbyterian Church.
The damage from both fires was limited because the fire department is a few blocks away from the church. A police officer also happened to be patrolling the area when both fires broke out. It cost about $20,000 to repair the church after both fires, Hill said.
Members of the congregation had figured the fire was connected to the eight other church fires reported in Allegheny, Butler, Somerset and Westmoreland counties from January 1998 to May 1999, and were surprised to hear of Dano's arrest, Hill said.
``They love this church and they were hurt,'' Hill said. ``I can only speak for myself when I say I've forgiven Mr. Dano. We've moved on.''
