Parishioner Who Started Ames Church Fire Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

A woman with documented mental health problems brought on by childhood trauma was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday for setting a fire in St. Thomas Aquinas Church in September.

Tina Meyer, 51, of Ames, pleaded guilty in December to second-degree arson, and first-degree criminal mischief, both Class C felonies, punishable by 10 years in prison. She was sentenced after a brief hearing Monday.

“I hurt people's feelings, minds and hearts,” Meyer read from a statement at the hearing.

She acknowledged that she caused emotional pain and displaced the church membership. No one was hurt in the Sept. 25 fire, but people were in the church center when Meyer set a fire in a sitting area above the worship area.

“From all of my heart and all of my soul, I'm very sorry,” she said.

Meyer who taught at a school in Ballard was a member of the church. Father Jim Dubert, said he knew Meyer's face, but that he only met her officially after she had been arrested on first-degree arson charges.

Dubert testified on Meyer's behalf Monday saying that he had been meeting with her frequently at the Story County Jail.

He testified that Meyer seemed to specifically avoid areas of the church where people were the night she set the fire and that he didn't believe she meant to harm anyone.

“I don't think prison would help her,” Dubert said, referring to her mental health issues.

Meyer's estranged husband Dan Meyer told the court last fall that Meyer had a long history of mental health problems. Ames police had been searching for Meyer before the fire began concerned that she intended to harm herself.

Story County Assistant Attorney Tim Meals asked for two 10 year sentences to run consecutively and said that Meyer could receive mental health treatment in an Iowa prison.

Meyer's attorney Maria Ruhtenberg, asked for a suspended sentence and probation.

She said that Meyer had never been in trouble before and had held a steady professional job up until the fire.

“These are not the characteristics of a person sent to prison on a first offense,” Ruhtenberg argued adding that prisons were not equipped to deal with longterm mental illnesses.

Judge Dale Ruigh ordered Meyer to serve two 10 year sentences concurrently or at the same time.

He acknowledged Meyer's mental problems and said what she had done was very serious.

“I believe you do need continued mental health treatment,” Ruigh said. “It can be best offered in a highly structured environment provided by the Department of Corrections and that is prison.”

Ruigh said the Iowa Board of Parole would ultimately determine the length of Meyer's sentence.

After the hearing, Dubert said that he didn't believe Meyer would receive the help she needs while imprisoned.

A couch, some carpet and some of Meyer's possessions were burned in the Sept. 25 fire. However smoke filled the building leaving a thin film of soot behind causing about $1 million worth of damage.

Dubert said the church has not been able to open its worship center because smoke infiltrated asbestos ceiling tiles and the asbestos removal has delayed repairs. He expects that area of the church to reopen by Easter. 

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• Church Arson Criminal Complaint Shows Meyer Was Immediate Suspect
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