Arrests Made in 2024 Church Fire

Two Crawfordsville residents have been arrested for a December 2024 fire that destroyed the former One Way Pentecostal Church building on South Mill Street in Crawfordsville.

Crawfordsville Police charged Tanner Northcutt and Dailee Pender with arson, criminal mischief and false informing.

The fire resulted in the building being deemed a total loss. It had to be demolished shortly after because of severe structural damage and safety concerns. The cause of the fire was determined to be suspicious, prompting an extensive criminal investigation. Over the past nine months, the Crawfordsville Police Department’s Det. Sgt. Geoff Payne led the investigation, executing multiple search warrants on suspects’ cellular devices and social media accounts. More than 700 gigabytes of digital evidence, totaling over 4 million individual data artifacts, were reviewed multiple times. The Tippecanoe High Tech Crime Unit provided critical assistance in processing and analyzing the data.

The Crawfordsville Police Department extends its sincere appreciation to the public for the information and tips that aided in this investigation. The department also thanks the Tippecanoe High Tech Crime Unit and other cooperating law enforcement agencies for their valuable partnership and assistance throughout the case.