NEW CANEY, Texas (CW39) — Federal prosecutors said Friday that two Montgomery County residents have been indicted in a two year old case of firebombing the Huyen Trang Buddhist Meditation Center in New Caney, Texas.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Austin Willard Tanton, 28, and Kayla Lynn Thompson, 31, are charged with conspiracy to commit malicious use of explosive materials and using explosives at the felony level. Tanton also faces a charge of possessing an unregistered destructive device.
Prosecutors said that back on Nov. 5, 2023, Tanton allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail through a window of the temple, sparking a fire that damaged a rug and flooring. Four people, including the temple’s head nun, were inside at the time but were not injured. The fire was quickly extinguished, but th