Vandals break into Corbin church; do $6,000 damage

Police say vandals caused about $6,000 worth of damage after breaking into Corbin Presbyterian Church last week, and are asking anyone with knowledge of the crime to come forward.
The break-in happened during the late-night hours last Tuesday or Wednesday morning. It was discovered when Angela DuBois, the church Secretary, came into work and noticed a handle was missing off the back entrance.
“I peaked through the window and noticed things were scattered around the hallway, so I called police,” she said. ” I just could not believe anybody would do this to any church, much less this church.”
Vandals busted out doorway windows, scattered various items in offices and classroom buildings, tore apart furniture and ransacked the interim pastor’s office.
According to Corbin Police Capt. Tim Helton, some items were stolen from the church. Other items were taken and hidden outside. Included among the items recovered were a silver baptismal bowl, a large antique candleholder and a large Bible given to the first pastor of the church in 1892. Helton said the Bible was quite valuable and was taken from a glass display case outside the church sanctuary. The cover of it was torn off and pages were swollen as it was soaked in overnight rainwater.
“Some of those items were just hidden around the general area,” he said. “The Bible is of extreme value. It looked like some of the items were taken as trophies or something like that.”
Corbin Presbyterian Church has about 75 members and is located on Master Street near Vankirk-Grisell Funeral Home. It was founded in 1892.
DuBois said in June there were some minor problems with people trying to get into the church after-hours, but nothing like the vandalism that occurred last week.
Helton said he has some leads in the case, but no definite suspects yet. On adjacent Roy Kidd Ave., residents have been battling a wave of vandalism they blame on a local gang comprised mostly of teenagers.
Helton said he doesn’t know if the break-in at the church is linked, but said the way the crime was carried out does suggest more youthful violators.
“It’s hard to specify any crime to a certain age group anymore, but the way it was done, it would tend to be something done by people who are younger in age … not someone in their 30s or 40s.”
Helton does not suspect someone who has a vendetta against the church carried out the vandalism.
Vandals used items from the church, including a fire extinguisher, to bash out windows and cause damage to doors. DuBois said the church runs a food pantry and has several members who donate time to local charities.
“I can’t imagine that there’s anyone that would have something against this church,” she said. “There are a lot of wonderful people that attend here. Everybody was shocked.”
Helton said even if the perpetrators aren’t caught, it’s like the crime won’t go unpunished.
“They may never be known nor caught by the police or the community itself, but they can’t hide or get away from God … that much I’m sure of.”‘