W’burg man arrested for allegedly breaking into church fellowship hall

A Williamsburg man, who allegedly broke into a church’s fellowship hall after he was spotted trying to break into a vehicle late Monday evening, is now behind bars.

Thomas Helbig is charged with burglary and other charges after allegedly breaking into a church fellowship hall late Monday evening.

The incident started about 10 p.m. Monday when a Watts Creek Road resident called Whitley County E911 reporting that he caught a man in one of his vehicles, according to a Whitley County Sheriff’s Department release.

The caller pursued the suspect and told police that he entered Watson Chapel by breaking a window, the release stated.

Deputies Jonas Saunders and Joe Prewitt responded to the scene along with Williamsburg K-9 Officer Elijah Hunter and his K-9 partner, Vicko.

The caller identified the suspect and provided a physical description.

While Hunter and Vicko were tracking the suspect and searching the church grounds, Williamsburg police officers located Thomas M. Helbig, 29, in a Cumberland Heights apartment.

“Located within the apartment was discarded clothing matching the caller’s description. In addition to the broken window, damage was done to the door to the fellowship hall,” Sheriff Colan Harrell wrote in the release.

Saunders arrested Helbig and charged him with two counts of second-degree burglary, attempted theft by unlawful taking over $500 but less than $10,000, disorderly conduct and public intoxication.

Helbig was also served with an arrest warrant for failure to appear.

He was lodged in the Whitley County Detention Center, where he is being held in lieu of a $10,000 cash bond on the latest charges, and a $2,500 cash bond in the failure to appear case, according to the jail’s website.