Fla. Churches Looted, Bibles Burned

Jan. 29, 2010
TITUSVILLE, Fla.

TITUSVILLE, Fla. --

At least four churches have been broken into in Brevard County in the last month, with vandals looting the houses of worship and burning Bibles.

The latest break-in took place at the Baptist Church in Titusville on Tropic Street, just west of Interstate 95.

Pastor Jeremy Gates said the church was accessed through a broken window and thousands of dollars of damage was done to the facility.

"It's one thing for a house to be broken into -- that's horrible -- but there was a time when even criminals would respect houses of worship," Gates said.

The sign outside the church states: "To whoever broke into our church we prayed for you, we forgive you."

Meanwhile, Bibles were torched at the New Venture Church in Titusville.

"They burned the Bibles around the drum set," said Pastor Scooter Morrison of New Venture Church in Titusville, who added that his congregation will continue to worship -- even if it's not in the vandalized building.

A parishioner of the one of the churches told a pastor that she may know someone who may be involved in the break-ins, and the tip has been passed along to police. An investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information about the break-ins is urged to call police.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

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