Connect with us

Northeast

Man arrested for disrupting Christmas church services, pouring whiskey into holy water: deputies

Published

on

Man arrested for disrupting Christmas church services, pouring whiskey into holy water: deputies

A Maryland man was arrested after he disrupted two local churches’ Christmas Eve services, including pouring whiskey into the holy water.

The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office announced that Thomas Campbell Bolling Von Goetz, 56, of Avenue, was arrested and charged with several offenses after he caused a scene during religious services and endangered citizens. 

Shortly after 5 pm on Christmas Eve, deputies said Von Goetz entered Holy Angels Catholic Church in Avenue during a Mass and approached the altar and dropped an onion in the aisle, disturbing the peace of those attending. 

Deputies said a witness followed Von Goetz as he exited the church to make sure he was leaving and saw him then assault another person by throwing tangerines at him. 

PRANKSTER ARRESTED AFTER REPORTEDLY FILMING HIMSELF SPRAYING FOOD AT WALMART: ‘RECKLESS’

Advertisement

A Maryland man is accused of disrupting Christmas Eve church services and disturbing parishioners.  (St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office)

Later that night, deputies said Von Goetz struck again, this time, during Midnight Mass at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Leonardtown.

Deputies said Von Goetz disrupted the service by pouring whiskey into the holy water and threatened to harm parishioners.

THIEVES STEAL 2,500 PIES IN ODD FOOD HEIST GONE WRONG: ‘SO MUCH WASTE’

BAGHDAD, IRAQ – APRIL 7: Worshippers pray at a service for Pope John Paul II on April, 7, 2005 at a Catholic church in Baghdad, Iraq. Pope John Paul II died at his residence in the Vatican on April 2, aged 84 years old.  His funeral will be held in St. Peter’s Square on Friday, April 8. Cardinals under the age of 80 will start the conclave on April 18, where a new Pope will be chosen. (Photo by Wathiq Khuzaie/Getty Images) (2005 Getty Images)

Advertisement

As church attendees escorted him from the building, deputies said he attempted unsuccessfully to hit several individuals with a whiskey bottle. 

Parishioners were able to detain Von Goetz until deputies arrived.

FLORIDA MAN ARRESTED AFTER PRETENDING TO BE UNDERCOVER POLICE OFFICER TO AVOID BACKGROUND CHECK

In this Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009 photo, Lavon Ferrell, left front, attends Sunday Mass at Saint Mary the Virgin Catholic Church  in Arlington, Texas. The conservative church became a Roman Catholic church in 1994 after it left the Episcopal Church. (AP Photo/Amy Gutierrez)

Von Goetz was then transported to a local hospital for medical evaluation. 

Advertisement

On December 26, 2024, deputies said Von Goetz was arrested and charged with Second-Degree Assault, Disorderly Conduct, Defacing Religious Property, Religious Crime Against a Group, Obstructing a Religious Exercise, Threat of Mass Violence and Disturbing the Peace.

He is currently being held at St. Mary’s County Detention and Rehabilitation Center, pending an appearance before a District Court Commissioner.

Stepheny Price is writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com

Advertisement

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Northeast

Man with machete shot and killed by police, who then find 3 more dead inside home: officials

Published

on

Man with machete shot and killed by police, who then find 3 more dead inside home: officials

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Officials in Piscataway, New Jersey, noted Tuesday that an individual with a machete was shot and killed by police, who then found the subject’s mother and grandparents dead inside a home, WABC reported.

Piscataway Mayor Brian Wahler noted that the suspect’s father dialed 911, the outlet noted.

When authorities arrived at the home, the man had a machete, authorities said, according to the outlet. Authorities attempted to utilize tasers against the man but indicated it did not stop the suspect, WABC noted. 

He allegedly charged at law enforcement officers with the weapon, and they opened fire and killed him, the outlet reported.

Advertisement

EERIE SURVEILLANCE VIDEO SHOWS ‘PERSON OF INTEREST’ IN UNSOLVED OHIO DENTIST MURDER CASE

Authorities with the Piscataway Police Department responded to a 911 call about someone with a knife. (Kyle Mazza/UNF News/Shutterstock)

After the shooting, police found three people dead in the home, a press release from the New Jersey attorney general’s office notes.

“The Office of Public Integrity and Accountability is investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred on Monday, January 5, 2026, in Piscataway Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey,” the release states.

Preliminary information indicated that authorities with the Piscataway Police Department had responded to a 911 call from someone who reported a person with a knife, the release indicates.

Advertisement

OFF-DUTY DEPUTY SHOT AND KILLED WHILE WORKING SECURITY JOB IN TEXAS, SUSPECT APPREHENDED

Police shot a man armed with a knife Jan. 5, 2026, in New Jersey. (Kyle Mazza/UNF News/Shutterstock)

“Officers subsequently shot and killed a man armed with a knife who they encountered at the residence,” the press release noted.

“A 2019 law … requires the Attorney General’s Office to conduct investigations of a person’s death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody. It requires that all such investigations be presented to a grand jury to determine if the evidence supports the return of an indictment against the officer or officers involved,” the release explains.

SEATTLE POLICE UNION CONDEMNS NEW SOCIALIST MAYOR’S DRUG ENFORCEMENT APPROACH AS ‘SUICIDAL EMPATHY’

Advertisement

Law enforcement shot a person armed with a knife in New Jersey. (Kyle Mazza/UNF News/Shutterstock)

 

According to a post on X, New Jersey State Policemen’s Benevolent Association President Peter Andreyev noted, “We are aware of the horrific crime in Middlesex County tonight. All our members that were involved are being evaluated. Thank you to all who have reached to offer support.”

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading

Boston, MA

Battenfeld: Michelle Wu should demand better security after Boston Medical Center rape

Published

on

Battenfeld: Michelle Wu should demand better security after Boston Medical Center rape


In the middle of Michelle Wu’s orchestrated inaugural celebration, prosecutors described a senseless hospital horror that unfolded at Boston Medical Center – a rape of a partially paralyzed patient allegedly by a mentally ill man allowed to freely roam the hospital’s hallways.

It happened in September in what is supposed to be a safe haven but too often is a dangerous campus. Drug addicts with needles frequently openly camp in front of the hospital, and in early December a security guard suffered serious injuries in a stabbing on the BMC campus. The alleged assailant was finally subdued by other security guards after a struggle.

In the September incident, prosecutors described in court this week how the 55-year-old alleged rapist Barry Howze worked his way under the terrified victim’s bed in the BMC emergency room and sexually assaulted her.

“This assault was brutal and brazen, and occurred in a place where people go for help,” Suffolk County prosecutor Kate Fraiman said. “Due to her partial paralysis, she could not reach her phone, which was under her body at the time.”

Advertisement

Howze, who reportedly has a history of violent offenses and mental illness, was able to flee the scene but was arrested two days later at the hospital when he tried to obtain a visitor’s pass and was recognized by security. Howze’s attorney blamed hospital staff for allowing him the opportunity to commit the crime and some city councilors are demanding answers.

“This was a horrific and violent sexual assault on a defenseless patient,” Councilor Ed Flynn said. “The safety and security of patients and staff at the hospital can’t be ignored any longer. The hospital leadership must make immediate and major changes and upgrades to their security department.”

Flynn also sent a letter to BMC CEO Alastair Bell questioning how the assailant was allowed to commit the rape.

Where is Wu? She was too busy celebrating herself with a weeklong inaugural of her second term to deal with the rape at the medical center, which is near the center of drug-ravaged Mass and Cass.

If the rape had happened at a suburban hospital, people would be demanding investigations and accountability.

Advertisement

But in Boston, Wu takes credit for running the “safest major city in the country” while often ignoring crimes.

Wu should intervene and demand better security and safety for the staff and patients at BMC.

Although the hospital is no longer run by the city, it has a historic connection with City Hall. It is used by Boston residents, many of them poor and disabled or from marginalized communities. She should be out front like Flynn demanding accountability from the hospital.

Boston Medical Center, located in the city’s South End, is the largest “safety-net” hospital in New England. It is partially overseen by the Boston Public Health Commission, whose members are appointed by the mayor.

BMC was formed in 1996 by the Thomas Menino administration as a merger between the city-owned Boston City Hospital, which first opened in 1864, and Boston University Medical Center.

Advertisement

Menino called the merger “the most important thing I will do as mayor.”

When he was appointed CEO by the hospital board of trustees in 2023, Bell offered recycled Wu-speak to talk about how BMC was trying to “reshape” how the hospital delivers health care.

“The way we think about the health of our patients and members extends beyond traditional medicine to environmental sustainability and issues such as housing, food insecurity, and economic mobility, as we study the root causes of health inequities and empower all of our patients and communities to thrive,” Bell said.

But the hospital has been plagued by security issues in the last few years, and a contract dispute with the nurses’ union. The nurses at BMC’s Brighton campus authorized a three-day strike late last year over management demands to cut staffing and retirement benefits.

Kirsten Ransom, BMC Brighton RN and Massachusetts Nurses Association co-chair, said, “This vote sends a clear message that our members are united in our commitment to make a stand for our patients, our community and our professional integrity in the wake of this blatant effort to balance BMC’s budget on the backs of those who have the greatest impact on the safety of the patients and the future success of this facility.”

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Pittsburg, PA

Gov. Josh Shapiro launches re-election campaign; speeches planned in Pittsburgh and Philly

Published

on

Gov. Josh Shapiro launches re-election campaign; speeches planned in Pittsburgh and Philly






Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending