Bodycam footage from the incident

WOMAN LOSES IT AND SETS CHURCH ON FIRE

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1. A ROUTINE POLICE ENCOUNTER TAKES A DARK TURN

What begins with a woman sitting inside a facility with an officer nearby eventually connects to a much more serious investigation.

The case centers on a fire at the House of Prayer Church in Blackwell, Oklahoma, where investigators determined that the blaze was intentionally set. The building also housed a food bank serving families in the community. (Koco)

2. THE FIRE WASN'T AN ACCIDENT

On March 13, 2025, Blackwell police and firefighters responded to a structure fire at the church on South 9th Street.

Investigators eventually determined the fire was arson, changing the case from a fire response into a criminal investigation. (Koco)

3. THE CHURCH HELD MORE THAN A PLACE OF WORSHIP

The consequences went beyond damage to a church building.

Part of the House of Prayer facility housed a food bank that reportedly served dozens of people in Blackwell each month. After the fire, church members said they needed to find another location to store donated food and continue helping families. (Koco)

4. THEN INVESTIGATORS IDENTIFIED A SUSPECT

Police said their investigation quickly produced a suspect.

According to authorities, the person identified in connection with the fire later returned to the scene. Officers then arrested a 41-year-old woman. At the time of the initial news report, police had not publicly released her name because formal charges had not yet been filed. (Koco)

5. THE CASE EVENTUALLY REACHED COURT

Court records later identified the defendant as Trisha Dawn McPhee.

The Kay County case lists three felony counts: second-degree burglary, second-degree arson, and injuring a church or its contents. The case was filed on March 19, 2025. (Odcr)

6. THE CHARGES WERE MORE SERIOUS THAN JUST STARTING A FIRE

The burglary allegation adds another layer to the case.

According to the court docket, prosecutors charged McPhee not only with second-degree arson but also with second-degree burglary and injuring a church or its contents. These are allegations reflected in the filed case—not findings that she was convicted of those offenses. (Odcr)

7. THE COURTROOM STORY DIDN'T END WITH THE ARREST

The case continued for months.

Court records show multiple hearings during 2025. A preliminary hearing was eventually scheduled, and on October 27, 2025, McPhee entered a no-contest plea after waiving her preliminary hearing. The court accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing. (Odcr)

8. AND THERE WAS ANOTHER CASE INVOLVING THE SAME DEFENDANT

The court docket also shows a separate 2024 case involving McPhee that included allegations of assault or battery on a medical care provider and malicious injury to property.

That case was later connected to an application to revoke, according to the court record. (Odcr)

9. THE FIRE HIT A COMMUNITY RESOURCE

Perhaps the most important detail is what was inside the building.

The House of Prayer's food pantry was helping local families, and church members told KOCO that the fire left them without a suitable place to unload and store donated food. The damage therefore affected more than the church itself. (Koco)

10. FROM A CHURCH FIRE TO A FELONY CASE

What initially looked like a devastating building fire became a criminal investigation, an arrest, felony charges, and ultimately a no-contest plea.

The available court record shows sentencing was continued to November 16, 2026, so the publicly available record does not establish a final sentence as of September 18, 2026. (Odcr)

And that's what makes the bodycam footage so compelling: what you're watching isn't just an angry confrontation with police. It's part of a case that eventually became a serious arson prosecution.