PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (WFLA) — A man from Punta Gorda has been charged with felony arson after his mother informed police that she suspected him of igniting a fire at a synagogue last Friday evening.
The Chabad of Charlotte County fell victim to a recent arson incident. The attacker smashed a window, ignited a fire in a classroom, and painted the letter “J” across the building. Although responders quickly extinguished the fire with no injuries reported, the interior sustained damage, as did a door and window.
On the night of September 19, the fire occurred, and by Monday, a woman contacted the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. She informed a detective that her sister suspected her son, Blake Hoover, of causing the fire.
Hoover’s mother later revealed to investigators that her 31-year-old son harbors animosity towards Jewish individuals and LGBTQ+ community members, with his attitudes deteriorating over the recent years. According to her statement in a Charlotte County affidavit, he had previously inquired whether she was aware that “the old library was now a Jewish place and he intended to burn it down.”
Reportedly, Hoover departed the house on the night of the fire taking a gas can and spray paint, only to return with an empty gas can. The following morning, when his mother questioned him about his activities, he dismissed it casually, stating, “I just sprayed the letter J, not a big deal.”
However, while watching the news, his mother learned of the extent of the attack and immediately suspected her son, the affidavit said.
Traffic camera footage showed Hoover’s car heading towards the synagogue at 10:09 p.m., approximately 40 minutes before the fire was reported, which aligns with his mother’s account.
Hoover was arrested and booked into the Charlotte County Jail on Monday. He has been charged with arson during the commission of a felony, a second-degree felony, and criminal mischief to a religious structure, a third-degree felony.
