Former vice-mayor of SC is sentenced for ordering a church pavilion to be set on fire A former vice-mayor of a small town in the west of Santa Catarina was sentenced to five years, five months and 10 days in semi-open prison for ordering a church pavilion to be set on fire to, according to him, "shake up the region's political scene". As the case is not under judicial secrecy, the name of the defendant or the municipality where the crime occurred were not disclosed. The fire took place in February 2020. The defendant's son was still sentenced for coercion, but the sentence was recognized as time-barred. The decision was released by the Court of Justice of Santa Catarina (TJSC) on Tuesday (4). ?Click and follow the g1 SC channel on WhatsApp The complaint was made by the Public Ministry of Santa Catarina (MPSC). The agency narrated how the crime happened: In February 2020, the defendant hired a man to set fire to the diocese's community pavilion. He also told the contractor that he was the mayor of the municipality and that he would pay R$10,000. The contractor called an acquaintance and they put the plan into practice. Using the monitoring camera, the Civil Police identified the two men. In their first statement, they claimed that they were hired by the mayor, but they did not recognize the head of the municipal Executive Branch at the time. When the investigator presented the image of the deputy mayor, the man called to cause the fire recognized it. After threats from the defendant's son, the two perpetrators changed their version in court, but reversed themselves a few days later and revealed the threats they had suffered. In the first degree, the former vice-mayor was acquitted and his son was convicted of coercion. The Public Prosecutor's Office filed an appeal and the decision went to the TJSC, which decided on the conviction. However, in the son's case, the crime was time-barred. MORE