(RightWing.org) – A US Navy veteran has been charged with trying to burn down the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr’s childhood home in Atlanta. Astonished tourists visiting the house saw the 26-year-old pouring gasoline around the porch and interrupted her attack. Now a judge has denied her bail, saying she’s a flight risk.
On December 8, two tourists visiting the house on Auburn Avenue where the famed civil rights activist spent his childhood realized that something was badly wrong. A young woman dressed in black was walking around the house’s porch with a large gasoline canister, splashing fuel on the building and yard.
Realizing the woman, who a witness said looked “irritated and on edge,” was planning an arson attack, they filmed her for evidence. Kempf then asked her what she was doing, but she didn’t respond. When she threw the empty gas canister down and picked up a lighter, he dialed 911. He shouted for help, attracting the attention of two men who turned out to be off-duty NYPD officers; they detained the woman and held her until Atlanta police responded to Kempf’s call.
The would-be arsonist was identified as Laneisha Shantrice Henderson, a former US Navy surface warfare specialist and current Florida resident. She also apparently has mental health issues. After her arrest, she was evaluated at Grady Detention Center and then taken to Fulton County Jail.
Now, Henderson has been denied a bond by Fulton County Judge Holly Hughes. Judge Hughes said she was turning down the bail application because of the nature of the crime, and because Henderson gave a Florida address. The judge said she believed it was likely that Henderson, if released on bail, wouldn’t return to the court. She also said she was worried about the “randomness” of the event, which she couldn’t find any reason for.
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