Man strikes officer with Stanley cup after destroying church with sledgehammer

By Averi Kremposky, Gail Paschall-Brown

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    PALM BAY, Florida (WESH) — A Palm Bay man was arrested after police say he severely damaged a church and then battered an officer.

According to an arrest affidavit from the Palm Bay Police Department, Timothy Bornman, 24, broke into a local church just before 5:20 p.m. on Sunday and caused thousands of dollars worth of damage.

Before breaking into Mission Church, officers say Bornman accessed a shed at the back of the property and retrieved a sledgehammer. Once armed, he broke the front door of the church and started “to damage everything in sight,” the affidavit says.

When officers responded to the scene, they said they found Bornman holding a metal Stanley cup while he walked around the parking lot yelling and cursing at members of the church.

Officers say Bornman also threatened them.

After commands to get on the ground, the affidavit says Bornman approached an officer in an aggressive manner and tried to strike him in the head with the cup. The officer dodged the cup but was hit in the shoulder.

When Bornman tried to run, officers deployed a stun gun, according to the affidavit. After a brief struggle on the ground, officers say they were able to get the man into handcuffs.

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