Haleyville churches hit by break-ins and vandalism

HALEYVILLE  - Two church buildings, located within just one city block of each other in downtown Haleyville, have been hit with break-ins and extensive vandalism over a two day period, in what one church official is terming a hate crime against God.

The break-in, vandalism and theft of contributions from Iglesia Evangelica Bautista Cristo Es La Roca, located at the corner of 19th Street and 9th Avenue, reportedly occurred sometime between June 17-18, noted Haleyville Police Chief Rodney Lewis.

The break-in and extensive vandalism at Heritage Missionary Baptist Church, on 19th Street, took place around 2:30 a.m. on June 19, Lewis added.

Suspect(s) forced entry through a rear window of Iglesia Evangelica and proceeded inside to vandalize items, as well as steal the church contribution funds, Lewis noted. The exact amount of funds stolen had not been released as of press time.

“As of right now, they are both under investigation, and we are hoping to have an arrest by the end of the week,” Lewis stated on Monday.

Video surveillance at Heritage Missionary Baptist showed a suspect casing out the front of the building, looking in the windows and even looking directly up at the security camera, before breaking out the glass of the far left door on the front of the building, and entering the office area, stressed church minister Allen Barton.

The person, believed to be a male, was wearing a blue long-sleeved pullover, black pants and black socks, according to Barton.

“He had his head completely covered except the slits for his eyes,” Barton stated. “He had his face wrapped.”

Although Barton is unsure how the suspect broke out the glass in the door leading into the office, a rock was later found inside the building, he said.

“He proceeded to destroy as many things as he could possibly destroy,” Barton pointed out. “He cut every cable he could find in the building.” This included cutting the cord to the church’s Wi-Fi system, he noted.

“He even cut the speaker cables, the printer cables. He cut so many cables that he threw a breaker in the back,” Barton pointed out.

While in the office, the suspect took a Bible dating back to the 1800s and tossed it into the floor, damaging pages and even tearing across an image of Christ, Barton described.

The laptop in the office was literally ripped in half and busted, according to Barton.

A can of corn was thrown through the glass of a microwave door, a wall thermostat was punctured  and the glass to the main entrance front door was shattered from the inside, Barton further described.

“He busted several TVs,” he added. A TV in the nursery was pulled off the wall then shattered, he said.

“Right now, we’re looking at about $10,000,” Barton said about the damages.
Once the break-in was discovered, church members met at the building and cleaned up as best they could and had services this past Sunday at their normal time, Barton said.

Service times at Heritage will not be disrupted on either Sunday or Wednesday due to the incident, with the church moving forward, he indicated.

“First and foremost, I want everyone to know that God is still on the throne, and the gates of hell are not going to prevail against the Lord’s church,” Barton emphasized.

Secondly, Barton did not want people to be malicious against the person who committed the crime.

“He needs the Lord,” he said.

“We need to pray for him, because I worry that if he continues the path he is on in the area we live, he is going to wind up being hurt bad. Somebody is going to hurt him,” he added.

Barton also stressed that Haleyville is not the same community it was several years ago.

“The world we grew up in, my generation, doesn’t exist anymore,” he said. “It is not safe. You need to secure your homes, secure your vehicles, because you have people here who have nothing but evil, malicious intent.”

Although ministering in the past to people who have been victims of burglary, Barton had never experienced it himself, until now.

“It has made me feel vulnerable in every area of my life,” he said. “It’s just a very unsettling thing.”

A few weeks ago, the rear of the Heritage church van, which stays parked in front of the building on 19th Street, was struck in what is being referred to as a hit-and-run incident, Barton said.

Security video showed a black F-150 truck striking the back of the church van, pushing it partially into 19th Street, then leaving the scene, Barton said.

However, it has not been determined whether the hit-and-run incident and the church break-in are related, Barton said.

“What concerns me about this (break-in) was just malicious intent. It was a hate crime,” he said. “They don’t go through the right channels to get the help they need.”

Those who may see suspicious activity or know any information regarding these or possibly other incidents, are urged to contact the Haleyville Police Department at (205) 486-5201.

Measures to keep the building and congregation safe have increased since the incident occurred, Barton emphasized.

“We are not going to tolerate not having our people safe,” he pointed out.

The outpouring of love and support from the community and neighboring church congregations has been tremendous, according to Barton.

“I get chill bumps. It has just been overwhelming,” said Barton.

Crimes against churches not only affect the church congregations, but also the city, especially since both buildings are located downtown, stressed Haleyville Mayor Ken Sunseri.

“It’s a sad situation when people break into places of worship,” Sunseri pointed out. “It’s a sad state of affairs, but we will do everything we can to catch the perpetrators and to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”

The Alabamian attempted to contact a representative of Iglesia Evangelica Bautista Cristo Es La Roca but did not receive a response by press time Monday.