Hollywood synagogue arson suspect faces felony charges

A man suspected of setting a fire in a Southern California synagogue is facing 19 felony charges of burglary and arson. Dmitry Sheyko, 21, is in custody in Los Angeles, charged with the April 14 fire at Temple Israel of Hollywood, according to The Associated Press. He is charged as well with breaking into several homes near Beverly Hills.

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Jewish Journal

April 21, 2011

A man suspected of setting a fire in a Southern California synagogue is facing 19 felony charges of burglary and arson.

Dmitry Sheyko, 21, is in custody in Los Angeles, charged with the April 14 fire at Temple Israel of Hollywood, according to The Associated Press. He is charged as well with breaking into several homes near Beverly Hills.

Sheyko, who has pleaded not guilty, is being held on $3 million bail. A hearing is set for May 2.

Los Angeles Police Department detectives told The Los Angeles Times that they do not believe the synagogue break-in and fire were hate crimes.

Students at Temple Israel’s day school were evacuated on the morning of the attempted arson, but programming resumed soon afterward, according to the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles.

It was the second incident at a Southern California synagogue within a week. Ron Hirsch, a 60-year-old transient, is under arrest for setting off a pipe bomb April 7 near the Chabad of Santa Monica.