LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Two juveniles have been arrested for allegedly vandalizing a Meade County church.
Sheriff Phillip Wimpee said his deputies responded to St. Theresa of Avila Catholic Church on Tuesday about a vandalism complaint. When officers arrived, they saw extensive damage inside and outside the church and the Parish Hall on Rhodelia Road in Payneville, Kentucky.
Church staff had a security video that reportedly showed the two juveniles dispersing fire extinguishes inside the church and "destroying numerous religious artifacts." The sheriff said the juveniles also spread holy oil over the floor, which destroyed the carpet. They also turned a cross on the altar upside down.
Sheriff Wimpee declined to release any of the security footage or images, but he said damage estimates to both buildings is well over $10,000.
Investigators also found damage to headstones at the cemetery across from the church that had apparently been done the previous day.
The suspects are being charged with Burglary in the Second Degree and Criminal Mischief in the First Degree. Both are in custody at a juvenile center in Bowling Green. They will be in court next week.
The investigation is being turned over to the Meade County Attorney and Commonwealth Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
According to Louisville Archdiocese spokeswoman Cecilia Price, St. Theresa of Avila is closed while repairs are being done. The church posted on social media that parishioners can attend mass on Sunday, April 14 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi, 110 Hwy 376, Payneville, Kentucky.
More area crime stories:
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- 'Not above the law' | Jamey Noel headed back to jail for 60 days following contempt hearing
- Psych exams ordered for mother of boy found dead in suitcase in southern Indiana
- 8-year-old in Madisonville died from fentanyl intoxication, not allergic reaction to strawberries
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