FBI offers reward in church vandalism case
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $5,000 in the vandalism of Chubbuck LDS churches.
Late Nov. 6 or early Nov. 7, 2013, three meetinghouses for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were vandalized in Chubbuck. Spray painted on the walls, sidewalks and doors were male genitalia, inverted crosses and messages like “Burn in Hell,” “Die Mormans” and “Sheepole.” The FBI is now calling it a hate crime.
“What a hate crime would be designated as, is either vandalism or violence or something against a specific group,” FBI Special Agent Bill Facer said. “Based upon the information that we’re looking at, this may be considered a hate crime.”
Police initially suspected this was an act of juvenile delinquency and not a hate crime, and on Wednesday, the police department said it doesn’t have any new leads in the case it can release quite yet, since everything is still under investigation.
The bureau is offering the reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible.
If you know anything on the case, contact the FBI’s Boise office at (208) 344-7843 or the Chubbuck Police Department at (208) 237-7172.
