Weekly Church Crime News 12/05/2022

(November 30) 'Beloved' Pastor Found Dead In Church Carpentry Workshop After 'Tragic' Woodworking Accident

Jimmy Jeanfreau Jr., 60, is suspected to have died at some point on Monday night after sustaining traumatic injuries, according to authorities. A Louisiana pastor was found dead on Tuesday morning after being injured in a "tragic accident," according to church officials. Rev. Jimmy Jeanfreau Jr., the pastor of Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church in Marrero, was killed in a woodworking accident at a carpentry workshop on the church's campus.

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(November 30) Woman Sexually Assaulted Inside Church; Suspect Arrested

SAN DIEGO – Officers arrested a 27-year-old man suspected of sexually assaulting an elderly woman inside a Mira Mesa church, San Diego police said. Police said the attack happened Friday on the 10700 block of Rickert Road, where the victim allowed the suspect to enter the church after he had asked to use the bathroom.

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(November 29) Man Arrested, Accused Of Assault At Mira Mesa Church

SAN DIEGO — A 27-year-old man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of assault with intent to commit rape after police say he attacked a woman in a church in Mira Mesa. The attack occurred about noon Friday at a church on Rickert Road near Mira Mesa Boulevard, according to San Diego police Lt. Adam Sharki.

Police said the San Diego man knocked on the door of the church where the woman was alone inside. He asked to use the restroom.

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(November 29) Two Bodies Found Burned; WGNO Identifies Them As Priest And Assistant

Officers responded to the 500 block of E. Gibson Street around 7 a.m. where two people were found ‘burned beyond recognition.’ Official identities from the St. Tammany Parish Coroner have not been released.

According to the Covington Police Department, officers responded to the 500 block of E. Gibson Street around 7 a.m. where two people were found ‘burned beyond recognition.’ Other details regarding the investigation were unavailable, the station reports.

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(November 29) South African Adventist Church Robbed During Service

Six armed men robbed members of the Johannesburg Central Seventh-day Adventist Church in South Africa on November 26. Posing as visitors, the men waited until the pastor stood at the podium and then “got up, ordered [the pastor] to lie down, and took all cellphones, wallets, and other valuables from the congregation and stomped out,”

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(November 28) Van Used To Serve community Stolen From Huntersville Church, Members Say

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — A small Huntersville church is scrambling to find a solution after members say someone stole their van. Terri Karam leads the outreach ministry at Meadowlake Church. She said the van is used to drop off school supplies, snacks and books -- all organized by age and category -- to underserved neighborhoods..

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(November 26) Man Shot, Killed Behind Nashville Church

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A man was found dead with at least one gunshot wound in the parking lot of a church in east Nashville Friday afternoon. 

The unidentified victim was found after a shooting was reported around 4:15 p.m. at a church in the 200 block of Gatewood Avenue, says Metro police investigators at the scene. The church at that address is listed as Nashville New Life Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Metro police are pursuing active leads in connection to this shooting.

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(November 26) Drive-By Shooting Injures 2 At Funeral At Nashville Church

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A drive-by shooting in Nashville on Saturday injured two people as they and others were walking out of church from the funeral of a woman who was fatally shot earlier this month, according to police.

Metro Nashville Police Department spokesperson Don Aaron said the afternoon shooting occurred outside New Season Church, where a funeral service had just ended for 19-year-old Terriana Johnson. The hearse was parked out front with the rear door open and people were filing out of church as the shots began, Aaron said.

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(November 25) Man Accused Of Setting A Church On Fire Is Facing Multiple Charges

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — A man accused of setting fire to a church in Montgomery County Saturday night is facing 30 different charges. According to the department of insurance special unit, agents arrested 24-year-old Shane Jones.

The incident happened at the Candor United Methodist Church at 203 South Main Street. Jones is accused of breaking into the church, setting the building on fire and the church's altar Bible.

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(November 25) Eagle River Church Vandalized Again With Phallic Symbols

For the second time in six months, St. Andrew Catholic Church in Eagle River has suffered a vandalism attack. St. Andrew Catholic Church in Eagle River has been targeted by vandalism twice in the last six months.

The night before Thanksgiving, a vandal spray painted nine large phallic symbols on the outside of the church. The images are nearly identical to those sprayed on the building in May, when nails were also scattered across the parking lot.

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