AUSTINTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – A Boardman man is facing charges related to several break-ins at the same Austintown church earlier this year.
Police arrested Jeremy Bell, 37, Sunday on felony charges of breaking and entering, possession of criminal tools, tampering with evidence and criminal mischief.
The first break-in was reported on January 31 at the Cornersburg Baptist Church on Tippecanoe Road.
According to a police report, the pastor arrived at the church at 10 a.m. to find a shattered window in the basement. Nothing was missing other than $5 that was in a cup in an upstairs office.
Police found a trail of mud down the hallway through the basement, continuing up the stairs and into the office area where the money was taken.
On April 2, another burglary was reported at the church. During that break-in, an extension cord was removed from the pastor’s office. The burglar entered through the basement window again, according to a police report.
On April 20, the pastor called police after arriving at the church to find “you suck” written on his desk in black marker. He then noticed that a VCR/DVD combo was missing, along with its remote.
A report stated that there were no signs of forced entry, leading the pastor to believe that the burglar had taken a key from his desk previously. The pastor also told police that a break-in may have happened on April 16 as well because a breaker box and furnace had been shut off, but he didn’t think anything of it at the time.
The police reports did not say how police identified Bell as the suspect.
Bell is scheduled to appear in court for his arraignment at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
