The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office has announced one 18-year-old and one 17-year-old will be charged this week in the vandalism in October of the Palestine Church in Cedar Grove. The church, located on Hwy. 424, has been abandoned for several years and has been the target of vandalism in the past.
Chief Deputy David Bunn said there were eight juveniles present when the church was ransacked—four female and four male. Seven were students from McKenzie and one from West Carroll Schools.
District Attorney Matt Stowe said he will prosecute three of the group on charges of ‘desecration of a venerated object, criminal trespassing and vandalism.” The other five could still face charges of criminal trespassing.
The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office was called to the church on October 16. According to the report filed by Deputy Michael Sevarns, all the storm windows were broken, the lecturn was thrown from the pulpit and broke apart, the piano was flipped over, the back door was shattered, large rocks were used to break large holes in the floor and the floorboards were ripped up and thrown into the hole.
Church pews were thrown through the windows and left dangling and the front double door windows were broken.
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