Investigation Continues After Items Recovered from Church Burglary

On Tuesday (1/26/2016) Coffee County Deputy Blake Simmons responded to Forest Mill Church of Christ on the McMinnville Hwy in reference to a burglary. According to Simmons’ report he spoke to a Jonathan Tucker that stated when he arrived at the church that morning he noticed a drink machine had been vandalized. An unknown amount of money was stolen from the machine.
Tucker stated that he did check the rest of the building but was unable to find forced entry or anything else missing at this time.
Then on Wednesday morning Deputy Shaun Greene responded to Forest Mill Church of Christ in reference to a burglary situation that had already occurred. As Greene was en route to the church, dispatch advised that they had received a second call of a white male with a black jacket with a stick in his hand in the parking lot. In Greene’s report, the complainant said the man advised that he was waiting on a ride. Manchester Police Department Officer Dustan Foster radioed he was close to the location and would be glad to go and see if he could make contact with the subject and stand by with him until Greene arrived. Officer Foster advised that when he arrived, the white male was walking from the corner of the house that’s also on the property and hid behind the church buses. Officer Foster was able to place him into custody to detain him until deputies arrived and investigate the scene. During the search of the subject, currency was found and he was also found to be in possession of a broken black knife.
Deputy Cody Lendley arrived on the scene and advised that the building behind the church had been ransacked and asked Greene to have the man face the building. The complainant said that the black jacket that he was wearing looked like a black jacket that was in the church’s lost and found. The complainant went onto say that between 8pm Tuesday till approximately 9:30am Wednesday morning someone had entered the church and removed several items.
Investigator Jason Dendy reports that all items taken from the church including clothing, tool box, tools and money has been recovered. Dendy says no arrest has been made as the investigation is ongoing.