POCATELLO — A local man and a male juvenile were arrested Thursday in connection to the vandalism at two The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints buildings adjacent to Caldwell Park on Oct. 14.
Jakob Andrew McCormick, 21, of Pocatello, has been charged with one count of felony malicious injury to property for causing over $1,000 worth of damage to property and equipment inside the buildings, according to police reports and court records the Idaho State Journal obtained Friday.
The juvenile’s name and the charges filed against him are not being released at this time because he is under age 18, police said.
The incident began to unfold when Pocatello police responded to the two church buildings on the 100 block of South Seventh Avenue around 6 a.m. on Oct. 14 after a passerby reported the vandalism.
Police found several smashed glass doors and windows at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church building and adjacent family history center. Police also noted that a fire extinguisher had been set off inside the church building and a computer monitor had been smashed.
One of the keyholders for the buildings also told police that a dozen roses had been stolen from the church building, police said.
Officials with the LDS Church told police the cost to replace the smashed windows alone was over $1,600.
Police thought the suspects might still be in the buildings and used police dogs to conduct a thorough search.
No suspects were found inside the buildings but footage from security cameras in the area and a trail of blood from inside the church building that extended about five blocks east to the 1200 block of East Lewis Street provided police with clues as to the identities of those responsible for the vandalism, authorities said.
Police said they believe the blood was from one of the suspects who injured himself while vandalizing the church building.
Police said they also located a backpack near the scene that contained several Twisted Tea alcoholic beverages and found another empty Twisted Tea can that had blood on it on the ground on the 1000 block of East Lewis Street. Two more empty Twisted Tea cans were located outside of a residence on the 1200 block of East Lewis Street, according to the police report.
The pastor at Mountain Valley Baptist Church, also located adjacent to Caldwell Park, told police that his church too suffered vandalism on the morning of Oct. 14 when someone smashed one of its pumpkins outside the church. The pastor provided police with security camera footage that showed two male figures trying to break into the church around 3:11 a.m. on Oct. 14.
Police spoke to a resident of the 1200 block of East Lewis Street who said that she overheard two males discussing plans to commit numerous robberies, including stealing items from the nearby Albertsons supermarket, police said.
Officers then scoured Pocatello police records related to Twisted Teas and uncovered three recent related reports for incidents in which male individuals stole numerous Twisted Teas from various stores. McCormick was named in those reports, police said.
Officers located McCormick at a home on the 5000 block of Cherokee Street and interviewed him. During the interview, McCormick said he was too drunk to remember what happened on the morning of Oct. 14 but admitted to committing the vandalism, according to police.
He was arrested and booked into the Bannock County Jail. He appeared in front of 6th District Judge Aaron Thompson for an arraignment hearing Friday, during which he was ordered to be released from jail on his own recognizance with a requirement to complete pre-trial court testing.
McCormick is due back in court on Nov. 2 for a preliminary hearing, during which prosecutors will attempt to prove there is enough evidence against him to elevate the case from the magistrate to district court level for trial.
If convicted of the felony malicious injury to property charge, he faces no less than one year and up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000.
Police have not released any information on the male juvenile involved in the case except for confirming that he was also arrested.
Police said that they do not believe the vandalism at the church buildings was a hate crime.