CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man could face up to 25 years in prison after admitting Thursday to setting a fire that destroyed a church.

Christopher Scott Pritchard, 48, pleaded guilty in federal court to two charges for setting ablaze The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cape Girardeau on April 28, 2021. The fire quickly engulfed the building. No one was inside and no one was injured, but the church was a total loss.

Authorities said at the time that church officials sought extra police patrol two days before the fire after Pritchard threatened to assault a bishop and “burn the church down.”

Sentencing is Feb. 18. Pritchard could go to prison for up to 20 years for violating the Church Arson Prevention Act. He faces a mandatory five-year sentence for arson of a building affecting foreign or interstate commerce.