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By Kent Larsen
Tacoma Area LDS Chapel Ransacked
TACOMA, WASHINGTON -- Vandals ransacked an LDS chapel on Washington's
Key Peninsula Saturday night, leaving $40,000 in damage and leading
Bishop Robert Barrett to cancel Sunday meetings in favor of a cleanup
project. While nothing was stolen, the vandals destroyed computers,
video equipment, plumbing fixtures and furnishings.
Bishop Barrett discovered the vandalism when he arrived at the chapel
at 7:45 am Sunday morning to prepare for meetings. Nearly 100 of the
Ward's 270 members showed up to help clean up the damage, which
included ripped-up books, and the word "Satan" and "666" scrawled in
foot-high letters on a wall.
Barrett is at a loss to understand why someone would vandalize a
church like this. "I'm really perplexed by the whole thing," said
Barrett. "I've thought about this all day. I guess they did what they
did as a way to have fun." He indicated he didn't think that the
vandalism was a hate crime. "It really just seems to me to be ... a
prank that got way out of hand."
Sources:
Vandals wreck church
Tacoma WA News Tribune 22Jan01 D1
By Stefano Esposito: The News Tribune
Key Peninsula: Rampage leaves $40,000 in damage
[Thanks to Stan Zielinski, for this link]
Vandalism at Mormon church estimated at $40,000
Portland OR Oregonian (AP) 22Jan01 D1
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