Two men have been arrested and charged with committing the vandalism and arson of an Illinois church that caused more than $300,000 in damages.
Ethan G. Lam was arrested last month, and Chad E. Krueger was arrested last week for having allegedly caused significant damage to McKinney Chapel Freewill Baptist Church in the Lake of Egypt area.
A Williamson County Grand Jury indicted Lam and Krueger on the Class 1 Felony charges of place of worship arson and criminal damage to property, according to a press release from the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.
“The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Lake of Egypt Fire Department, Illinois State Police Crime Scene Unit, the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office, and State’s Attorney Ted Hampson for their assistance in this investigation,” stated the sheriff’s office.
According to authorities, police responded to the church on July 24 after discovering the building had sustained fire damage, multiple broken windows and other damage “estimated to exceed $300,000.”
Thanks to evidence found at the scene of the crime and an additional follow-up investigation, authorities were able to identify Lam and Krueger as suspects. They were later remanded into the custody of the Williamson County Jail.
Lam is scheduled for arraignment on Sept. 3, while Krueger is slated to have his arraignment on Oct. 1, according to the Cape Girardeau, Missouri-based news outlet KFVS.
McKinney Chapel Freewill Baptist Church explained on its Facebook page on Sunday that it’s presently holding small worship services elsewhere on its property.
“We had a great service this morning here at the Chapel. We only had 4 in attendance and we are having church in our church basement for now. But the ‘Spirit’ is still there and we are still striving and moving forward and not letting the devil win or defeat us,” they stated.
“God has got us covered and is seeing us through. We will eventually be back in the sanctuary but it will be awhile. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.”
