PAYSON, Utah, Sept. 13, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Three Payson teenagers are in custody after police say the trio admitted to causing more than $20,000 in damages to a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse.
Deputies responded to a report of damage at the church, at 259 E. Alpine Dr., Payson, just after 10 a.m. Monday, according to a news release from Sgt. Spencer Cannon, Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
A woman who went to the church to practice playing the organ discovered the damage and contacted the sheriff’s office, according to the news release.
Deputies and investigators found that someone had entered the church sometime after 9 p.m. Sunday night.
“A nearby resident told deputies he saw several teenage boys dump trash on his lawn Sunday,” the news release stated. “Deputies were able to locate those boys, two brothers ages 13 and 14, and another boy age 14. All three boys are from Payson and had left home Sunday night without permission from their parents.
“As investigators entered the meetinghouse they discovered that the building had sustained extensive damage. Hymn books had been thrown through ceiling tiles in a hallway and small fires had been started in a partitioned classroom. The fires were lit in two different plastic garbage cans using hymn books and other paper. Candy and other food items were stolen out of a children’s meeting room, along with pens and pencils. The boys also discharged the contents of three fire extinguishers, covering nearly the entire building except the chapel. One of the boys even slept for a period of time in the chapel, near the piano.”
One of the 14 year old boys denied any involvement with this incident, and lied to investigators about his name, but eventually all three admitted they were involved. Investigators learned the teens had spent several hours inside the church.
One of the boys had singed hair still stuck to his forehead, apparently from the fires lit in the garbage cans. The boys also had powder from the fire extinguishers on their clothing.
The three were arrested and booked into Slate Canyon Youth Detention Center in Provo. Charges for each of the teens include burglary, a third degree felony, criminal mischief, a second degree felony, reckless burning, a class A misdemeanor and theft, a class B misdemeanor for two of the boys and a third degree felony for one because of prior convictions.
One of the 14 year old boys was also charged with giving false personal information to a police officer, a class B misdemeanor, for lying about his name.
