Logan Temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
LOGAN — Police were called to the Logan Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints early Tuesday morning, after a man allegedly broke into the building and vandalized it. They later located the suspect locked inside a room.
Logan City Police Capt. Curtis Hooley said officers received a call about the break-in around 3:30 a.m. The caller stated that there was a broken window on the east side of the temple and it appeared that someone had gotten inside.
“The officers entered the building and took quite a few hours to try and make sure that the building was secure and that there was nobody inside,” explained Hooley. “They noted that there had been a fair amount of damage that had been done to different parts of the building itself and some of its contents.”
It looked like someone had used an ax to smash some of the windows and walls inside the temple. The suspect also had removed and damaged some of the paintings.
Hooley explained that as officers continued their investigation, they located the suspect still inside.
“He had locked himself into a room that the officers were not able to get into initially. He was taken into custody for questioning.”
After the suspect was removed, workers immediately began replacing the broken windows and making repairs to the temple. They expressed hope that the temple would be able to be open again Thursday morning.
Hooley said the suspect is a local resident of the valley. He has allegedly had previous involvements with the church.
“He has been trespassed from the temple before and also some other buildings that belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some old buildings in our valley. It appears that he has some sort of issues with the church itself.”
The suspect wasn’t located until around 7:30 a.m. on the main floor of the temple. Evidence indicates that he had been throughout the building.
will@cvradio.com
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