A Utah bride-to-be is accused of taking “cold feet” to an alarming extreme.
Authorities say a woman allegedly ignited a fire inside a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints building just one day before she was scheduled to get married there, leaving more than $100,000 in damage behind.
Lenita “Tessa” Joy Moreno, 25, was taken into custody Monday, more than two weeks after investigators say she started the blaze at the LDS church in Kaysville, according to KUTV.
Court documents obtained by the station say Moreno, her fiancé and relatives were nearly finished preparing the venue for the next day’s wedding when the fire alarm abruptly sounded.
Two people nearby attempted to put out the flames, using water from the wedding decorations along with a fire extinguisher, the filings said.
When investigators examined the scene, they determined the fire appeared to have started beneath a chair, where they found unusual materials — including what looked like a tampon — according to the court records.
Moreno and her soon-to-be husband had allegedly gone inside to secure the church building shortly before the fire broke out, KUTV reported.
The groom later told investigators the couple had stopped at Ace Hardware earlier that day to buy hooks, and surveillance footage reportedly showed Moreno stealing two to three lighters from the store.
The apparently reluctant bride admitted to stealing from the store but would not disclose what items she took, cops said. Her fiancé was not nearby when she sneakily grabbed the lighters, the documents said.
“It is believed that Lenita (Tessa) started a fire within a church building while 5 others were still inside,” the probable cause document stated.
“Lenita did not obtain a marriage license for her own wedding that was to occur the following day after the fire but had lied, stating she had.”
The fire caused more than $108,000 in damages to the Mormon church.
The firebug bride has been booked into Davis County Jail on a slew of charges, including first-degree aggravated arson, misdemeanor retail theft and providing false information to a peace officer, records show.
