Paw Paw man charged with arson of Kalamazoo Planned Parenthood

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - A Paw Paw man was charged Thursday for setting a Planned Parenthood building on fire in Kalamazoo, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.

Joshua Brereton, 25, was charged with arson.

On Sunday, officers were called to a fire in progress at a Planned Parenthood in Kalamazoo.

According to reports, at 4 p.m., a man later identified as Brereton got through a fence surrounding the building and used a combustible fuel to light the building's bushes on fire.

Brereton also allegedly lit a fireplace starter log and threw the burning log onto the roof.

After starting the two fires, Brereton left the scene, reports said.

About an hour before the fire, Brereton bought citronella torch fuel, a starter log, and a utility lighter from a store in Paw Paw, police said.

He also bought a baseball cap similar to the one seen in Planned Parenthood's surveillance footage of the incident.

The criminal complaint states that Brereton posted a YouTube video referring to abortion as "genocide" and encouraged others to lend a hand in the fight, according to reports.

If convicted, Brereton faces up to 20 years in prison.