Saturday, October 23, 2010

Four Teenagers Vandalize And Set Fires In LDS Pleasant Grove Utah West Stake Center; Damage Mostly Cosmetic

Four teenagers who were primarily out to get some cheap thrills vandalized a chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 56 South 1300 West (also known as S. Proctor Lane) in Pleasant Grove, Utah, but they've been caught and now will find those "cheap thrills" to be more expensive than they originally thought. According to the Meetinghouse Locator, the chapel is the home of the Pleasant Grove First, Fourth, and Sixth Wards; it also serves as the stake center for the Pleasant Grove Utah West Stake.

For readers who are unfamiliar, chapels designated as stake centers are generally larger than ordinary chapels to accommodate the overflow attendant to the biannual stake conferences, when members from all the stake's congregations hold a combined service at the stake center.

Three boys and one girl between 13 and 14 years old, who were not publicly identified, got into the chapel between 4 and 5 p.m on Friday October 22nd, 2010. They went through the church throwing items, overturning and breaking tables, and set several fires. They also blew a fire extinguisher down a hallway, and the dust from the fire extinguisher set off the smoke alarm in the building. The smoke alarm sounded and lights flashed, which alerted neighbors who in turn called police. One of the neighbors recognized the teens, who were apprehended shortly thereafter. Charges are pending.

No damage estimate has been provided, but the damage is mostly cosmetic. The chapel should be available for full use within a week at the most; with an accelerated cleanup, it could be restored to service this Sunday.

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