Satan's Tools: Sorry, I's Drunk!

While BaT was sleeping, investigators used tire tracks to arrest and charge three overprivileged "students" -- theater is not a major! -- with burning down several rural churches in Alabama.

Three bright college students from privileged backgrounds, charged in a string of rural church arsons that gripped Alabama, may have been fueled by alcohol when they first headed out, authorities said Thursday.

Federal and state authorities haven't commented on a possible motive, beyond evidence that an apparent prank spun out of control. Defense attorneys haven't commented, either, other than to say the fires weren't crimes of hate.

But authorities throughout the monthlong investigation said alcohol could have led to a warped bravado that sparked the arsons, and initial interviews with the suspects bore out the theory, according to one officer.

"We were told by official sources ... that seemingly some drinking, some night hunting, was ultimately what led to all of this," said Randy Youngblood, the campus police chief at Birmingham-Southern College, where two of the three suspects were enrolled.

To our shock (shocked I tell you), alcohol is involved, although it seems to be more of a courage-builder here, while the motivators were stupidity, thrill-seeking and possible satanism.

Friends of the three suspects have described behavior that turned from goofy pranks to vandalism after at least one of the young men, Cloyd, began drinking more heavily last fall. Cloyd mentioned alcohol in a Web message to Moseley earlier this year when he said it was "time to reconvene the season of evil."

"May our girlfriends be concerned about our safety, may our parents be clueless, may our beers be frosty," said the message from Facebook.com, first reported by WVUA-TV in Tuscaloosa. There was no mention of churches in the message, dated Jan. 3.

DeBusk reportedly invited a friend to go "demon hunting" last year and claimed to be a Satanist, but the trip didn't amount to much other than a night of drinking.

Yeah, that outta earn you a ticket straight to hell. It's bad enough you claim to worship the devil, but you burn the one place humble, rural communities have to gather and seek fellowship? What a bunch of little pricks. Alleged pricks. Wait, I'm pretty sure the prick description is true.

Alleged arsonists. Certified pricks.