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December 11 2010 – 
The victim of sex abuse at the hands of a former pastor of a Norfolk church has spoken of finally being able to have closure on her ordeal after he was jailed for two years and placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.
An argument that began at an Oklahoma City church resulted in a shooting that has left at least one person dead and five others injured.
It happened Wednesday night outside the Word of God Church in northwest Oklahoma City. Police say there was a dispute between two groups and that as people were walking away, one person began shooting.
The bullets struck 31-year-old Darnell Marzett as well as five others — four young girls and a 32-year-old woman.Marzett later died at an Oklahoma City hospital. The wounds suffered by the other five weren’t thought to be life-threatening.
Seventeen-year-old James Watts has now been booked into the Oklahoma County Jail on complaints of murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
Attorneys for the Rev. Donald Armstrong and the Pueblo District Attorney’s office were pleased Monday with the plea agreement in the criminal case involving the former rector of Grace and St. Stephen’s Church in Colorado Springs.
A Fourth Judicial District grand jury indicted Armstrong in May 2009 on 20 felony counts of embezzling $392,000 from Grace Church. Armstrong on Friday pled no contest to one felony count, according to El Paso County court files. Though Armstrong in his plea doesn’t admit guilt, the court views it in a legal sense as a guilty plea.
As part of the agreement, Armstrong admitted guilt to a new charge, misdemeanor theft, said Pueblo District Attorney Bill Thiebaut. A sentencing hearing on this charge will happen before the end of the year.
Armstrong’s sentence could include a fine of up to $5,000 and up to 18 months in the El Paso County Jail. Misdemeanor charges are brought for thefts between $500 and $1,000.
On the felony count, Armstrong has been placed on four-year’s probation. If violated, he will be a convicted felon and could face four to 12 years in prison.
Read more: http://www.gazette.com/articles/armstrong-104949-indicted-don.html#ixzz10qSlMBrw
Aug 2100 – Ann Carson secretary for the North Presbyterian Church for over 20 years will spend the next three years in prison for embezzlement of $364,000 of members money. Ann Carson stole more then $85,000 of donations made in memory of loved ones, according to the pastor. Ann Carson was discovered after a church member attempted a financial audit. The external audit showed Ann Carson had been writing checks to herself and falsifying the books.
In addition to the 3 year prison sentence, Ann Carson was sentence includes 15 years of extended supervision and requires her to put a quarter of her earning toward repaying the entire amount of $364,418.12 back to the church. Question: When was your last audit done? If you believe that this can’t happen at your church, then think again! It can and it will without the proper audits and security measures in place. Are you prepared?
THE WOODLANDS, TX — It’s proof that thieves will hit any place at any time. Even a church isn’t sacred. Someone broke into a church in The Woodlands and stole the entire Sunday collection.
It was about 4pm and the church was filled with choir members when someone came through the front door, then broke into an interior office and stole an entire safe filled with cash, checks and credit cards. The entire Sunday collection was gone, along with cards used to pay the bills.
“The lock on the door to the office apparently is very easy to jimmy,” said Woodlands Christian Church Chairman Rose Sinclair.
She says the break-in was a big shock.
Police arrested a suspect Thursday in a shooting at a North Hollywood synagogue last year that left two people wounded.
Christopher Littlejohn, 37, was initially arrested by SWAT officers in a separate assault case in Beverly Hills on July 23 in which he pointed a gun at a person in a residential neighborhood, Beverly Hills Police Sgt. Shan Davis said.
LAPD Lt. John Romero said Littlejohn, of Northridge, was later arrested and booked on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with the Oct. 29 shooting in North Hollywood and is being held in lieu of $2-million bail.
Littlejohn is believed to have shot two congregants in the underground garage of Adat Yeshurun Valley Sephardic Synagogue. The wounded men were Maor Ben-Nissan, 37, and Allen Lasry, 38, who were both struck in the leg.
Church Vandalized
Authorities are investigating recent vandalism to a church in the southeastern North Dakota town of Gwinner.
The Sargent County sheriff’s office says vandals went into the unlocked Gustaf Adolf Lutheran Church, wrote hateful messages on pews, the communion rail and the altar, and spread feces.
Parishioners cleaned the church. On wednesday night, the church was hosting a cleansing and healing service.
The congregation also is offering a $1,000 reward in the case.
THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT IS BECOMING ROUTINE NEWS TODAY. WHAT HAVE YOU OR YOUR CHURCH DONE TO PREVENT BECOMING THE NEXT NEWS HEADLINE?
In Huston, Texas, shattered windows and broken glass was the results of vandals and was not the first time that this church had been targeted.
Three panes of glass were broken costing an estimated $600 a pane to repair. This cost is significant for a 40 member church to raise.
The Pastor blames the vandalism on what’s going on around them with drugs in the community. Over the years, the Pastor indicated that the problem has gotten worse. However, the church continues its outreach for the lost.
The church can’t afford insurance, so the pastor is hopeful members will spare whatever they can to repair what was damaged. He’s also hopeful the repairs will be completed by the first Sunday in May for the official celebration of their big 99th anniversary.
Question: Could you help with the repairs? What a way to show the love of Christ who gave himself unselfishly for us, by giving unselfishly giving to the repairs of this 99 year old church who still reaches out to the community to share the love of God. What is God leading you to do?
Columbus Field Division
March 18, 2010
(617) 827-8474
Shane Cartmill, SFM
(614) 752-7179
Alliance, Ohio. — Investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Division of State Fire Marshal today issued a request for the public’s assistance in an ongoing arson investigation in Stark County. The Division of State Fire Marshal, through the Blue Ribbon Arson Committee, is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for last Saturday’s church fire in Alliance. The ATF is offering an additional $5,000, bringing the total reward to $10,000.
The fire at Salem United Methodist Church, 14113 Salem Church Street N.E. in Alliance, was reported at 7:44 a.m. on March 13. The fire was ruled arson after investigators eliminated accidental causes and found evidence indicating the fire was intentionally set. The specifics of that evidence will not be released at this time as this is an ongoing criminal investigation.
Investigators say the blaze caused more than $200,000 damage to the main sanctuary and basement of the church.
ATF is committed to pursuing arsonists that endanger firefighters and communities by their senseless actions. Anyone with information that can lead to identifying the person or persons responsible should contact ATF or the State Fire Marshals; you can make your community safer with a phone call
said Chris Sadowski, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Columbus Field Division.
Arson is a serious and potentially deadly crime that impacts and entire community,
said Interim State Fire Marshal Don Cooper. Someone has information about this fire, and we encourage them to come forward and provide details to investigators.
Anyone having information should call the ATF 24/7 hotline 1-888-ATF-FIRE (1-888-283-3473) or the Blue Ribbon Arson hotline 1-800-589-2728.
ATF is the federal law enforcement agency with jurisdiction for investigating crimes of arson. More information on ATF and its programs can be found at www.atf.gov
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Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office have
Burglary Suspects
arrested two suspects and charged them with a series of church burglaries.
The Sheriff’s Office said Andrew Dayne Pippin, 21, and Jamie Fay Laidlaw, 23, both of North Charleston are each charged with six counts of burglary in connection with five church burglaries and one burglary at a home.
The Sheriff’s Office sais they suspect the two of more burglaries throughout the Lowcountry.
Several other law enforcement agencies are investigating the two suspects and authorities say the total number of burglaries attributed to them could be much higher.
Both suspects are scheduled for a hearing in bond court Thursday at 7PM.