SNOHOMISH — A man upset with Zion Lutheran Church was responsible for 15 vandalism incidents against the church and a Snohomish resident from July until his arrest Oct. 9, police say.
He’d thrown eggs mostly, but also hurled cat food and fruit, Police Chief Nathan Alanis said, and wrote a negative message onto the church. He also put nails behind the tires of a specific church member’s car and egged their car.
Police booked him on a felony-level charge of second-degree malicious mischief because of the aggregate amount of vandalism damage, the chief said.
The objects thrown at the church on Avenue A damaged its 100-plus-year-old windows.
In district court Thursday, his initial charges were lowered to a gross misdemeanor of third-degree malicious mischief by Judge Tam Bui.
Further charges would be pending, Alanis said.
The police report said the man was terminated as a teacher at Zion’s K-12 school two years ago over his comments. A person familiar with the situation said the man tried appealing the termination but exhausted his options. He also began posting videos on the internet speaking against the school.
Alanis said that while it was generally known who was vandalizing the church from the beginning, they needed to gather conclusive evidence to make an arrest. A camera was put up that caught him.
The 46-year-old Snohomish man was taken into custody without incident the morning of Oct. 9.
The Tribune knows the man’s name. The newspaper is not naming him in this story because it is understood he has not been formally charged in court through arraignment.
Alanis said the police department takes vandalism cases seriously and encourages anyone to report it.
