The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
The vandals attacked nearly every room.
They smashed glass windows and sprayed fire extinguishers everywhere, leaving a coating of thick yellow dust. They emptied
boxes of crackers and bags of potato chips and containers of ketchup, making the kitchen look like a garbage dump.
They broke lanterns, knocked over expensive equipment and tore documents from files and drawers.
Where did it happen? In a church, where even the pastor's office was trashed and the podium on the altar was knocked down.
"It's heartbreaking," the Rev. Joe Spear said Monday at Christ First Community Fellowship, 133 Woodview Ave. "It was done in broad daylight." Seeing the damage was devastating, he said.
Norfolk police said the vandalism is one of the worst involving a church that they've seen.
Several small fires appear to have been started, Spear said.
A deacon discovered the damage after 6 p.m. Sunday, before evening services. It happened sometime between then and the end of morning service, Spear said.
Police said they are investigating several suspects, but no arrests had been made.
The only rooms untouched were the restrooms. A disaster cleanup company said cleanup will cost between $4,000 and $8,000, Spear said. An insurance representative is expected to estimate the damages today.
Officer Chris Amos, a spokesman for Norfolk police, said that he had been to most incidents of church vandalism in the city in recent years and that "none of ours touch this."
Patrick Wilson, (757) 222-3893, patrick.wilson@pilotonline.com
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I am not a believer in any
I am not a believer in any religion at all but still feel outrage at this behavior and to share in the sorrow and loss of the congregation and pastor of this church community. I am glad to hear that they do have insurance, hopefully it will lesson the burden of cleaning and paying for it, however it can't take away the feeling of violation, only time and support from the eachother and the community can do that.
This was more than just plain mean and anti-social, it was stupid and preventable. To hear that it was 9 year olds is unbelievable to me. Why are 9 year olds even running unsupervised? (These are 3rd graders, maybe even 2nd, that we're talking about) My kids didn't walk to the neighbors' houses at that age without me on the door stoop watching that they made it and didn't tread on yards and gardens inbetween. Parents should be charged with contributing to the delinquincy of a minor for failure to properly supervise them because kids at that age are not reasoning yet. You don't leave a puppy home alone and expect the house to look like it would if you left an old dog alone. No different with kids.
So unfortunate
These children and parents will be given some legal counsel as to how to handle this unfortunate destruction of this church. Our church was vandalized years ago and it was so disheartening to think kids would do such a thing to the house of God. If my kids were do to something like this, my husband would deal with them at home Biblicaly speaking and spare the rod on their behinds, then reason with them and make them clean up this mess they made. You don't want these kids turned off from church people, but they need to know what they did was a bad thing to do.
These chowderheads will reap
These chowderheads will reap what they have sown.
Sad
Looking at the Pastor, you can just feel his pain. Yet you know in his heart he has forgiveness for those who committed this terrible crime.
That doesn't appear to be a
That doesn't appear to be a look of forgiveness, more like a wrath of God look.
Karma
hopefully will catch up with the people who did this.
Seeing the light
If I was going to vandalize something, a church would be last on my list. I'd be afraid I'd be struck by lightning, or something.
What a line to write
"If I was going to vandalize something" That statement can put thoughts in peoples head that you do vandalize things. I feel sorry for the ones who committed this act. They need help and guidance. When they get caught, which they will get caught, they won't get help and guidance, because they have written there life story from this. JAIL! For the ones who did this, I hope you enjoy yourself in JAIL! Good luck!
delinquents
It will more likely end up being a couple of fourteen year olds doing a few months in juvy.
Struck by lightning? To a
Struck by lightning? To a nonbeliever like myself, I want to know why didn't God just strike the vandals down as soon as they committed these acts. What is God waiting for?