{"id":53319,"date":"2017-11-27T05:42:28","date_gmt":"2017-11-27T05:42:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=53319"},"modified":"2017-11-27T05:42:28","modified_gmt":"2017-11-27T05:42:28","slug":"church-vandal-caught-on-surveillance-cam-arrested","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/news\/church-vandal-caught-on-surveillance-cam-arrested.html","title":{"rendered":"Church vandal caught on surveillance cam arrested"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color: #000000\">Church vandal caught on surveillance cam arrested<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color: #000000\">A Morristown man was arrested Sunday in connection with the vandalism of five New Jersey churches over the weekend, authorities said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color: #000000\">Zuri C. Towns, 45, confessed to breaking signs and windows at the predominantly African-American churches, according to the Morris County Prosecutor\u2019s Office.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color: #000000\">Towns, who as a child attended services at one of the targeted churches, was charged with four counts of criminal mischief.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color: #000000\">Authorities said they were no longer investigating the damage as a bias attack and that the former parishioner said he had acted alone.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color: #000000\">Security footage obtained by The Post shows the suspect, clad in a hoodie and jacket, walking briskly up to the corner of Church of God in Christ for All Saints in Morristown around 6:45 a.m. Saturday, and limply tossing a rock at the building\u2019s facade.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color: #000000\">\u201cIt wasn\u2019t a good throw, he wasn\u2019t a strong guy,\u201d 17-year-old Tahj Valentine said prior to the arrest as he vacuumed up glass before services Sunday. \u201cHe side-armed it, he\u2019s obviously not a baseball player.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color: #000000\">The young worshipper added, \u201cThe devil is not going to stop us. But he\u2019s welcome to come here and repent.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color: #000000\">\u201cWe\u2019re going to pray for him now,\u201d fellow church-goer Porsche Robinson interjected. \u201cWe can\u2019t be fearful.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color: #000000\">Pastor Robert Rogers told The Post that he has been more closely monitoring the house of worship\u2019s security footage since a gunman killed 26 people in a church shooting in rural Texas earlier this month.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color: #000000\">Rogers and his son provided the footage to cops, which prosecutors said led to Towns\u2019 arrest.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color: #000000\">The five damaged churches are Church of God in Christ for All Saints, Bethel A.M.E. Church, Calvary Baptist Church and Union Baptist Church, in Morristown; and Morristown Church of Christ in Morris Township.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color: #000000\">\u201cYou would never think this would happen in a place of worship,\u201d Rogers said, adding his flock is shaken. \u201cIt\u2019s a sacred place. You don\u2019t desecrate places of worship, but I guess we\u2019re living in different times. I guess this is what happens now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color: #000000\">\u201cWe\u2019re not going to let this stop us from worshipping,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Source:-\u00a0https:\/\/nypost.com\/2017\/11\/26\/alleged-church-vandal-caught-on-surveillance-cam\/<\/p>\n<div class=\"fb-background-color\">\n\t\t\t  <div \n\t\t\t  \tclass = \"fb-comments\" \n\t\t\t  \tdata-href = \"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/news\/church-vandal-caught-on-surveillance-cam-arrested.html\"\n\t\t\t  \tdata-numposts = \"10\"\n\t\t\t  \tdata-lazy = \"true\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-colorscheme = \"light\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-order-by = \"social\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-mobile=true>\n\t\t\t  <\/div><\/div>\n\t\t  <style>\n\t\t    .fb-background-color {\n\t\t\t\tbackground: #ffffff !important;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t.fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe {\n\t\t\t    width: 630px !important;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t  <\/style>\n\t\t  ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Church vandal caught on surveillance cam arrested A Morristown man was arrested Sunday in connection with the vandalism of five New Jersey churches over the weekend, authorities said. Zuri C. Towns, 45, confessed to breaking signs and windows at the predominantly African-American churches, according to the Morris County Prosecutor\u2019s Office. 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