The Badger Catholic: crimes at church

Showing posts with label crimes at church. Show all posts

Cleanup begins at St. Matthew Church in Allouez after break in arson

A broken window where investigators believe someone
broke in to start a fire at St. Matthew Church. (WBAY photo)

ALLOUEZ, Wis. (WBAY) - Investigators are praising the quick actions of local homeowners reporting information that led to a man they say is responsible for setting fires in a church and damaging two homes.

An 18-year-old man from the Green Bay area has been booked on charges of burglary, arson and criminal damage to property after the string of seemingly random crimes in Allouez just hours apart.

"We have three separate events that at the time we did not know were connected," Brown County Sheriff's Capt. Jody Lemmens said.

At 1:42 a.m., the Green Bay Metro Fire Department was called to a fire alarm at St. Matthew Catholic Church and Father Allouez School, 2575 S. Webster Ave.

continue at WBAY

Mackenzie A. Guillen was arrested early Wednesday morning, about two hours after the Green Bay Metro Fire Department was called to a small fire at St. Matthew Catholic Church, 2575 S. Webster Ave.

Man arrested on suspicion of starting Allouez church fire that burned Bible

Hubertus man accused of stealing $100,000 from Holy Hill church pleads guilty

WASHINGTON COUNTY — A Hubertus man accused of stealing money from the Holy Hill National Shrine of Mary Church in the Town of Erin in Washington County has reached a plea deal in the case against him.

Pierre Valodine, 76, on Wednesday, April 3 pleaded guilty to one count of theft of movable property — greater than $10,000. A second charge was dismissed but read into the court record. He will be sentenced on June 6.

According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, an investigation began after Valodine was suspected of stealing money from the church while he was sorting and counting money with other volunteers.

continue at Fox6

Police say suspect in Neillsville WI church burglary spoke in ‘demonic voice’, referenced Satan

Pictured: Seth Meier, taken in 2015

Clark County (WQOW) — Authorities have identified the man accused of vandalizing a Clark County church.

Neillsville police said Seth Meier, of Lublin, confessed to going into St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Neillsville Thursday night and damaging statues and wall hangings.

Meier was found at a home in Neillsville. The homeowner told police that Meier admitted to vandalizing the church and had been acting strange for the past five days, even speaking in a demonic voice. She said Seth and his brother, Tyler, had been talking in verse and talking about religion a lot.

According to police, Meier appeared to be under the influence of drugs. He was taken to the hospital to be checked out. While there, police said he continued to speak in a demonic voice. At one point, police said Meier said the last thing he remembered was “destroying the insolent temple”.

During his interrogation, Meier said he blessed the altar with snow. When asked how he blessed it, the criminal complaint states Meier said: “I dumped some snow on the altar and I said I bless you Satan in the name of Jesus Christ.” He went on to say he damaged a cross because it was not really Jesus. He said he left the church after “the father” told him to.

continue at WAOW

Well isn't that special. The end part is odd. It could be mental illness, drugs or possession or maybe a combination of the three.

Attorney for the Pewaukee priest accused of sexual assault has 'prejudiced' the case, prosecutors argue

Prosecutors on Feb. 18 asked a Waukesha County Circuit judge to bar a Pewaukee priest accused of sexually assaulting a teenage congregant and his attorneys from making "extrajudicial" statements about the case.

The motion, commonly referred to as a "gag order," argues that statements made by the priest, Chuck Hanel, and his attorney, Jerome Buting, could unfairly prejudice the case or "disseminate otherwise inadmissable or irrelevant information."

continue at JS

St Mary's Church in Neillsville vandalized, most of the statuary was destroyed, Bp. Callahan to preside at Mass in reparation for desecration

St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Neillsville was vandalized late Thursday night or early Friday morning.

The following is statement from Father Joseph, the Pastor at St. Mary’s. “Last night St. Mary Parish Church in Neillsville was vandalized. The damage, which was discovered this morning, was limited to the interior of the church. Most of the statuary was destroyed. The police were called immediately and are making their investigation. No one was injured. Heartfelt thanks go out to all who helped during this incident. The work of the law enforcement and the many others who came to help with the cleanup is greatly appreciated. We are saddened that our church was desecrated and the sanctuary was violated. Crimes committed in a church affect and do injury to the entire Christian community, which the church building in a sense symbolizes and represents. St. Mary’s is a house of prayer and we ask people to pray for the perpetrators so that the Lord may give them the grace for conversion.”

“Reparation for the desecration of a church is to be carried out with a penitential rite celebrated as soon as possible. St. Mary’s will have a penitential service at 3 pm on Saturday. All the faithful are invited to participate in reparation for the desecration done to our church. Weather permitting Bishop William Patrick Callahan will join our community for the Saturday Vigil Mass. Please keep the faithful of St. Mary Parish in your prayers during this time of need.”

CWB Radio

Update: Person of interest arrested after Neillsville church vandalized

NEILLSVILLE, Wis.-- Neillsville Police have been following up on leads and officers have arrested a person of interest in the vandalism complaint. The identity of the person arrested will not be made public at this time.

WEAU13

'Souls need prayer:' Statue at Basilica of St. Josaphat destroyed

One of the statues at Milwaukee's Basilica of St. Josaphat was destroyed over the weekend, the Rev. John Clote said.

"Souls need prayer," he wrote on Twitter with a photo of the statue that was destroyed on Saturday. "Please pray an 'Our Father' for them asking Jesus to shower them with graces for true Conversion.""Souls need prayer," he wrote on Twitter with a photo of the statue that was destroyed on Saturday. "Please pray an 'Our Father' for them asking Jesus to shower them with graces for true Conversion."

continue at WISN

Our grand Basilica was desecrated on Saturday. We pray for those responsible whose hearts and minds are darkened by hatred. Please pray an “Our Father” for them asking Jesus to shower them with graces for true Conversion. Statues can be repaired with glue. Souls need prayer. pic.twitter.com/9d8hIZYIml
— Fr. John Clote, OFM Conv. (@john_clote) January 16, 2019

Winona MN man pleads guilty to setting Fountain City church on fire

A Winona man was sentenced to jail Thursday for setting fire to a Fountain City church.

Jesse Tyler Bromaghim, 32, pleaded guilty in Buffalo County Court to one felony count of arson. He was accused of starting a fire and tipping over a statue at St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception Church in May.

Two other charges — felony criminal damage to property and attempted vehicle theft — were dismissed.

He was sentenced to four years in prison and 10 years of extended supervision.

continue at La Crosse Tribune

$800,000 church embezzler from largest parish in Superior Diocese sentenced to three years in prison

Turtle Lake resident Deborah Marcellus, 64, who admitted stealing nearly $823,000 from the congregation of Barron County’s largest Roman Catholic congregation earlier this year, was sentenced to three years in prison Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018, in U.S. District Court in Madison.

Marcellus pleaded guilty last July 2 to federal charges of wire fraud and filing a false income tax return in connection with the theft of $822,900 from St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Rice Lake, during a six-year period from 2011 through 2017.

Federal authorities charged that, as director of development for the parish, Marcellus generated more than 200 unauthorized checks to herself. Investigators analyzed the church’s accounting software to determine that while the unauthorized checks were originally written to Marcellus, she often quickly changed the name of the payee to a legitimate church vendor. Marcellus also forged the signatures of multiple church leaders on the checks.

continue at Barron News-Shield

Winona man arrested for setting fire to Fountain City WI church

A Winona man was arrested Thursday for vandalizing and setting fire to a Fountain City church Wednesday.

Jessie Tyler Bromaghim, 31, faces felony counts of arson, criminal damage and attempted vehicle theft after being accused of starting a fire and tipping over a statue at St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception Church.

...
Investigator Mike Osmond observed damage in the church, including a large statue that was tipped over and broken in the main church floor and several items thrown off the third-floor balcony into the church pews below.
...

Osmond said that Bromaghim admitted that he entered the church, caused the vandalism and started a fire with the red lighter on the floor, according to the complaint. He left the church after he started the fire, the complaint states.

continue at La Crosse Tribune

Fountain City church moves Mass following suspicious fire

WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |

Fountain City, WI (WXOW) - Mass and activities at a Fountain City church is forced to move after fire damages the building Wednesday morning.

The fire at the St. Mary's Immaculate Conception Catholic Church at 2 North Hill St. happened around 9:50 a.m. according to Buffalo County Chief Deputy Lee Engfer.

Six fire departments responded to the fire.

No one was inside the church when the fire broke out, nor was anyone hurt during the incident.

Highway 95, the main road through Fountain City, was closed for more than two hours as crews fought the fire.

continue at WXOW

Matt Abbott: On the Trail of a Traditional Priest’s Killer

By keeping certain cold cases in the public eye, the chance of those cases being solved appears to increase. The latest example is the April 24 arrest of the notorious Golden State Killer, who committed his crimes in the 1970s and ‘80s.

Thus, on this 20th anniversary year of the unsolved murder of Father Alfred Kunz — a case I’ve been following and writing about for quite a few years — I’d like to highlight the recent social media campaign conducted by the Dane County Sheriff’s Office (primarily on Facebook, but also on Twitter), which “is hoping to reinvigorate the investigation of this case.”

...
I asked Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Elise Schaffer the following question: Do the reported handful of persons of interest know each other, and could they be collectively covering up the crime? She responded: “Our detectives say the persons of interest do not generally move in the same circles.”

Is it possible that any of the persons of interest might kill again at some point? “Anyone’s guess. Anything is possible,” Ms. Schaffer responded.

continue at OnePeterFive

It is quite interesting what the Dane County Sheriff's Office has posted. Several theories of the motive were posted including this one.

Wausau church celebrates return of stolen Virgin Mary statue

Members of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Wausau are celebrating the return of their Virgin Mary statue.

The statue was stolen last weekend, but police were soon able to find the suspects, who had taken it to a property in Pelican Lake. Since Tuesday, the statue has been back in its original place outside in the church gardens.

Sunday's ceremony celebrating the religious symbol was a contrast to how many church members felt after discovering the statue was taken by thieves.

"I think I was part of a generally shocked congregation, that she had gone," St. Mary's Church member Johanna Delp said. "This is St. Mary's Oratory, so she is our matriarch, our monarch. And we honor her and revere her."

But it didn't take very long before that shock quickly turned into faith and hope. They're what Father Aaron Huberfeld believes helped lead to the statue's safe return.

"The thought in the back of my head right away was 'She'll be coming back by the end of the week,'" Father Huberfeld explained. "We knew that those prayers would bring her back."

continue at WSAW

Also a happy birthday to Canon Huberfeld (May 13)! Apparently his present was "re-gifted" this year.

HT S

Wausau Virgin Mary statue thieves caught by ... corn dogs

An official police report has revealed how the Wausau Police Department was able to catch the three people suspected of stealing the Virgin Mary statue from St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

According to the report, food left behind by the suspects eventually led to them being identified.

Police were able to figure out the food was corn dogs purchased from the Kwik Trip across the street.

When police realized that the corndogs left on the scene came from that gas station, they were able to watch surveillance footage from the gas station on Monday.

That's when they saw three people later identified as the suspects Brian Yonker, Miranda Lindner and Katie Kelly leave the Kwik Trip and walk in the direction of the church.

continue at WSAW

Statue of Virgin Mary stolen from St. Mary's in Wausau, statue now recovered

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) -- A Virgin Mary statue stolen from St. Mary's Catholic Church in Wausau is now in the custody of police.

According to a post on the Wausau Police Department's Facebook page, not only has the statue been found, officers have identified the suspects. The suspects are cooperating with investigators.

Father Aaron Huberfeld with St. Mary's Catholic Church said Monday afternoon that no charges will be filed if the five-foot tall statue is returned unharmed.

Lt. John Phillips with the Wausau Police Department tells NewsChannel 7 the theft happened sometime between 10:00 p.m. Saturday and 7:00 a.m. Sunday.

Father Huberfeld's room is near where the theft occurred and he says around midnight he heard people outside, but that it's not unusual when the weather gets nice.

It wasn't until the next morning when he realized the statue was missing. He was preparing for a First Communion mass where a floral crown is normally placed on the statue after a procession around the church.