Tennessee
Tennessee church estimates $200k in damage from juvenile vandals
MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Two 12-year-old’s are charged with causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to a church in Tennessee.
Smyrna Baptist Church in Maryville sustained an estimated $200,000 in damage from vandals on May 13. The Blount County Sheriff’s Office responded to the call and found overturned pews, broken windows, damaged Bibles, a destroyed piano and organ, as well as ruined carpet from fire extinguisher foam and a flooded bathroom.
The investigation led to two 12-year-old boys being charged with vandalism and burglary in the incident. The sheriff’s office said they later confessed to the crime.
In a separate case, the BCSO says they cited four juveniles on May 20 in the Friends Church burglary and vandalism, in Friendsville, in February. It’s about 15 miles north of Smyrna Baptist Church.