Black minister's home, car set on fire in Va.

CHESTERFIELD, Va. (AP) — Chesterfield County police are investigating the torching of a black minister's house and car.

Police spokeswoman Elizabeth Caroon tells The Progress-Index (http://bit.ly/WV3ANl ) that police are investigating to determine whether a hate crime was committed.

O. DeShea Cuthrell says the family's toy poodle awakened them at 4:30 a.m. His 21-year-old son saw that the porch was on fire. The N-word had been painted on the front and side of the home.

He says the incident has sparked a fire within him to combat injustice and racism.

Cuthrell says the family no longer has a sense of security and plans to relocate.

He's a minister at Good Shepherd Baptist Church in Petersburg.

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Information from: The Progress-Index, http://www.progress-index.com