Broken windows at 14 LDS Church buildings around St. George lead to multiple arrests

Elle Cabrera, St. George Spectrum & Daily News

Three people, including a juvenile, have been arrested over an alleged vandalism spree at church buildings across St. George owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

St. George police officers found reports of broken windows at 14 different churches across Washington County spanning multiple dates, according to arresting documents filed in 5th District Court.

Police tape stretches across the entrance to a church building owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this file photo taken after a vandalism incident on Aug. 31, 2021. A more recent rash of vandalism was reported at area churches last week, with broken windows reported at 14 separate buildings.
Police tape stretches across the entrance to a church building owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this file photo taken after a vandalism incident on Aug. 31, 2021. A more recent rash of vandalism was reported at area churches last week, with broken windows reported at 14 separate buildings.

The first incident was reported to police on July 18 when a witness said they saw a suspicious vehicle on Huntington Hill Road enter a church parking lot and then heard a loud noise, according to the court filings. The witness provided a description of the vehicle and a search ensued.

Two nights later, on July 20, a similar incident was reported, and police began searching for other reports of vandalism from around the area. Ultimately, officers found nine churches in St. George had reported broken windows, with "three or four" in Hurricane and two in Washington City.

A witness later told police they heard the suspects discussing a news article they saw about the incident, saying that the article "got the information wrong and they used a hammer to break the windows," according to the court filings.

All of the damage was done at churches owned by the Latter-day Saints, which make up Utah's predominant religious denomination. The estimated cost of the damage done was $5,000.

Two of the three individuals, one adult and one juvenile, reportedly admitted to their involvement during an interview with the SGPD, according to police. The adult is Nathan Monroy, 18, who was arrested and placed in the Purgatory Correctional Facility on a second-degree felony charge of criminal mischief. The juvenile was also arrested and placed in the Dixie Area Detention.

Another adult, Zachary Steele, 18, was arrested later by Washington City officers and faces the same charge.

Elle Cabrera covers breaking news and topics. Please help us to continue producing this content at thespectrum.com/subscribe. 

This article originally appeared on St. George Spectrum & Daily News: Vandalism spree damages 14 Mormon churches in St. George; 3 arrested

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