Kadum Harwood
A Ringgold man on Thursday was given the maximum five-year federal prison sentence in connection with a Sept. 4, 2023, attack on the Chattanooga Masonic Center.
Kadum Harwood appeared before Judge Charles Atchley, who said the incident was more than vandalism, but was akin to “domestic terrorism.”
It was agreed that Harwood would get a sentence between 40 and 60 months after his plea to interstate travel with the intent to carry on unlawful activity (arson).
He was also ordered to repay the Masonic Center $159,686.
Prosecutor Joe DeGaetano said Harwood traveled from his home in Catoosa County to the Masonic Center located across from Finley Stadium with the intent of damaging or destroying the building by setting it on fire.
The prosecutor said after Harwood arrived, he connected a chain from his vehicle to the front doors of the Masonic Center and then drove away. That caused the doors to break open.
Harwood then went inside where he used a sledgehammer to destroy furniture and other items. Then he retrieved firewood from his vehicle and took it inside the center. He placed the firewood near some items that he had destroyed, then he pulled down curtains and put them on the pile.
Prosecutor DeGaetano said he then poured an accelerant on the pile, then lit a piece of paper and dropped it on the pile. This caused a large fire to ignite inside the center. He then pulled down more of the curtains and used them to feed the fire.
Harwood then went outside and poured accelerant on bushes that he had cut earlier with a chainsaw. He used a lighter to start the outside fire.
Prosecutors said Harwood then went back to his vehicle and retrieved a .50 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver. He fired one shot at the Masonic Center.
Paul Smith, chairman of the board of the center, gave a statement in court in which he said actual damages were above $300,000. Prosecutor DeGaetano said the amount ordered was based on receipts the office was given. Mr. Smith said the group was denied use of the facility, including rentals, for an extended time before repairs were made.
Mr. Smith said Harwood had come to the center several nights earlier and left threatening emblems. He said the center afterward put in additional cameras inside and out.
Because of the threats, he said the center canceled a parade in Dayton that was aimed at raising funds for transporting sick children to hospitals.
Mr. Smith said Harwood also made threats against the Catholic Church and schools.
He said Harwood drove expensive vehicles and was able to buy guns and ammunition. He said he understood that 15 acres of property was being held for him, and he said he should not have received a government attorney.
Attorney J. Damon Burk of the Federal Defender’s Office said Harwood had an unblemished criminal record prior to the incident. He said he was embarrassed that it had happened.
The attorney said Harwood had finished high school and a number of college courses prior to becoming a long distance truck driver. He said it was speculated that while listening to radio shows that Harwood had tapped into certain conspiracy theories.
This article was originally published by a www.chattanoogan.com . Read the Original article here. .