Local News
Church charges plague EC teen
Just days after taking a plea agreement on a series of forgeries from an area church an Elmore City teenager is now facing more hot water from above after he made hallowed ground a target once again.
This time the charge against 19-year-old Nate Christian is burglary after he was first spotted by the pastor and later caught after hours by a trio of police officers in PV’s First Presbyterian Church.
A couple of weeks ago Christian submitted guilty pleas to seven counts of forgery after he stole church checks from his grandmother, who served as the treasurer at the Katie Missionary Baptist Church.
He deposited 10 forged checks totaling more than $7,000 and later withdrew the money from a PV bank.
The plea agreement resulted in Christian receiving a deferred sentence and court orders to pay restitution.
Now he faces a single count of second-degree burglary after he was arrested June 25 in the local church located in the 300 block of North Walnut, which happens to be only a few yards from both the PV police and county sheriff’s department.
This new case began when officers responded to a late night call of a possible burglary in progress.
It came after the pastor, Rev. Tom Busby, who lives next door to his church, saw the shades pulled down in his own office, which are normally left up.
Busby also reported finding some type of tool on the church steps and an emergency push bar on a door jammed, making it accessible from the outside.
The pastor raised some suspicion about Christian since he had been doing some yard work for the church earlier in the day.
Three officers with weapons drawn went to the pastor’s office and found Christian hiding inside, where he was quickly taken into custody.
They also found the pastor’s computer on, which when the monitor was turned back on displayed pornographic web sites. Evidence also indicated someone had attempted to print off some of the images shown on the screen.
Piecing the clues together police later concluded Christian, once finished with his yard work, had gained entry into the church building by a janitor.
He is reported to have used a piece of a phone book to block the door allowing him to re-enter later in the day.
Authorities also believe Christian broke into the locked office by using a screwdriver as the motive appears to be his desire to access the computer.
Officers reported the suspect turned off the computer monitor and hid in the office after they entered the building and began to shout out commands to anyone inside.
During his initial court appearance on the new criminal charge Christian was handed a $20,000 bond.
Court records also show Christian pleaded guilty in February to unlawful entry and shoplifting charges. In that case he was also given a deferred sentence.
- Local News
-
-
Pugs and Cream
-
County 911 is now online
The switch was turned on and tests calls made as Wednesday became day number one for Garvin County’s brand new enhanced 911 emergency telephone system.
-
Holiday hunt for drunk drivers
It’s won’t be a holiday this weekend for law enforcement, which includes Pauls Valley’s police department already on the hunt as part of a national campaign focused on finding drunk drivers.
The campaign for the Labor Day weekend is called “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.” -
Meet the Panthers
-
Rhodes: I’m right for the job
Larry Rhodes is following his dream of running to be the sheriff in Garvin County.
-
Garvin County harvest update
When it comes to measuring how successful a harvest is going, there have been far worse yield years than 2010.
-
Help still sought
Garvin County authorities are still seeking help from the public in their effort to identify one of two suspects in a recent burglary attempt.
-
A Rose is a Rose
-
Liquor vote to come in November
An already hotly contested liquor by the drink issue will be decided just a bit sooner than expected after all three Garvin County commissioners voted Monday to turn down an offer by supporters to pay for the costs of an election.
-
Health challenge set for Round 2
Round two is this week for the start of a fun kind of health program designed to help Pauls Valley residents lose some weight together.
It's called the Measure Up with Main Street Pauls Valley Health and Fitness Challenge. - More Local News Headlines
-
