Man pleads not guilty to arson

A Huntington Beach man pleaded not guilty to arson this morning after he allegedly tried to set an Irvine church on fire due to his disagreement with the church’s teachings.

Izad Chavoshan, 30, was arrested Wednesday night at the Orange County Church of Christ by Irvine police officers. According to the Orange County District Attorney’s office, Chavoshan had allegedly driven to the church three times over the previous week and lit trash cans on fire by the front doors.

Church officials contacted police, who began monitoring the church. About 10 p.m. Wednesday, Chavoshan allegedly returned to the church and tried repeatedly to throw a trash can through the glass on the front doors, then lit a piece of paper on fire and tried to push it between the closed doors, the District Attorney said.

Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the District Attorney, said she did not know the exact reason for Chavoshan’s supposed conflict with the church.

“My understanding is that he disagreed with the church’s teachings,” she said. “He was disgruntled with the church.”

Chavoshan was charged with three felony counts of arson and one felony count of attempted arson and faces a hate crime sentencing enhancement. According to the District Attorney, he has a prior strike conviction for criminal threats in 1998. His pretrial hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 30 with a preliminary hearing set for Nov. 4, and his bail has been set at $250,000.

If convicted, Chavoshan faces a maximum of 20 years in state prison.