Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Intruder Found Sleeping After Breaking Into Church

   A church member arrived at a Five Points church Sunday morning to discover a vehicle stuck in the yard, the building broken into, and the suspected burglar sleeping on the sanctuary floor.

   Thomas Tankersley summoned Lawrence County Sheriff’s Deputies to Mt. Zion Church of Christ around 7:00 a.m. after making the discovery.

   Tankersley stated he had arrived to find an older model, gray, Lincoln car stuck in the mud on church property. He found that the front door had been busted open and a man was lying in the floor, sleeping. He indicated that the man had apparently pulled a pew loose from its floor anchors, then moved it toward the rear wall. The man had turned on a wall heater and was lying between the moved bench and the rear wall.

   Tankersley indicated he had made several attempts wake the man, but they had proven unsuccessful. He then decided to drive to a nearby home to placed a call for assistance.

   As he left the church property, Tankersley reported seeing the driver of a black Dodge truck pull to the front of the stranded car. The man then hooked to the car and pulled it from its mire.

   When he returned from placing the call, Tankersley said he met both the truck and car on the roadway. He told deputies the drivers were heading toward Minor Hill. When he reentered the church he found that the intruder had left the premises.

   Shortly afterwards, dispatchers with Lawrence Central Dispatch reported receiving a call from an individual who gave his name and stated he had not been responsible for the break-in at the church.

   Damages to the church doors and yard were estimated to total $600.

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