TEBBETTS, Mo. (AP) - Five suspects have been charged with burglary and property damage after an historically Black church in central Missouri was vandalized, Callaway County Sheriff Clay Chism said.
The Oakley Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Tebbetts was damaged on Jan. 23. The church, which was founded by Black residents in 1878, has been rarely used for years.
Chism said the investigation so far has not uncovered evidence of a hate crime but the inquiry is continuing. He noted two abandoned homes in the same area also were vandalized Jan. 23, The Jefferson City News-Tribune reported.
Bradyn Holzhauser, 18, and Dylan Smith and Matthew Myers, both 17, all of Jefferson City, were arrested, along with a 16-year-old from Jefferson City and a 16-year-old Tebbetts resident.
The three older suspects were released from the Callaway County Jail pending court appearances, while the juveniles were placed under juvenile supervision.
Another historically Black Church, Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church, in nearby Holts Summit, was vandalized in November.
Chism said Monday evidence uncovered so far does not connect the two cases. He said the FBI has been contacted and is ready to help if evidence suggests the cases might be hate crimes.
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