By Dave Eck
Enquirer contributor

BATAVIA - A Blanchester man is being held in the Clermont County Jail on $500,000 bond in connection with the arson fire that heavily damaged a Wayne Township church early Sunday.

Joshua W. Ladnow, 20, is charged with arson and breaking and entering. The bond was set during a brief appearance Tuesday in Clermont County Municipal Court.

Ladnow, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, leaned against a wall and hung his head during the hearing. He was arrested Monday evening and charged after the Edenton First Baptist Church caught fire about 4:30 a.m. Sunday, Clermont County Sheriff A.J. Rodenberg said.

More than $10,000 in electronic equipment stolen from the church was recovered. The electronics included televisions, speakers and stereos.

The six-alarm blaze at the church at 6655 Edenton-Pleasant Plain Road brought out firefighters from departments in Warren, Clermont and Clinton counties. The fire was quickly determined to be arson, officials have said.

The blaze, and vandalism to the church before the fire was set, caused more than $300,000 in damage, Rodenberg said.

No details on a possible motive were released, but the incident does not appear to be an ethnic intimidation or a hate crime, Rodenberg said. The case remains under investigation.

The church sanctuary was destroyed and two other portions of the building suffered smoke or vandalism damage, Pastor Ron Henson said. Members will meet in a nearby church for now.

The church, which has a congregation of about 200, is insured and ready to move forward.

"I think when you go through difficult times and adversity, it binds you together," Henson said. "We were really starting to experience some growth. The big challenge and the thing we want to stay focused on is keeping the people united. I'm excited about what God is going to do for us out of all of this."

E-mail daveck@fuse.net