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Congregations relocated from ‘nearly destroyed’ Ogden LDS church struck by vandals

By Mark Shenefelt standard-Examiner - | Jul 4, 2019
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Max Cole, left, and Phonix Vroman of Paul Davis restoration services remove smoke damaged carpet in a church belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Ogden. Michael Donovan Averett, 18, faces felony charges of arson, burglary and criminal mischief. 

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Phonix Vroman of Paul Davis restoration services looks at the fire damage in a nursery in a church belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Ogden.

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A mural in a fire damaged nursery in a church belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Ogden.

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Max Cole, left, and Phonix Vroman of Paul Davis restoration services remove smoke damaged carpet in a church belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Ogden.

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A melted exit sign in the hallway of a church belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Ogden.

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Smoke and fire damage in a church belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Ogden.

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Max Cole of Paul Davis restoration services removes smoke damaged carpet in a church belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Ogden.

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Max Cole of Paul Davis restoration services removes smoke damaged carpet in a church belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Ogden.

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Paper and other derby outside a fire damaged church belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Ogden.

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A vandalized sink in a bathroom of a church belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Ogden.

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The main chapel in a fir damaged church belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Ogden.

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Phonix Vroman of Paul Davis restoration services walks the halls of a fire damaged church belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Ogden.

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Max Cole, right, and Phonix Vroman of Paul Davis restoration services remove smoke damaged carpet in a church belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Ogden.

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Max Cole, left, and Phonix Vroman of Paul Davis restoration services remove smoke damaged carpet in a church belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Ogden.

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Max Cole, left, and Phonix Vroman of Paul Davis restoration services remove smoke damaged carpet from a church belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Ogden.

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Max Cole of Paul Davis restoration services puts smoke damaged carpet from a church belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints into a dumpster on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Ogden.

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Phonix Vroman of Paul Davis restoration services puts smoke damaged carpet from a church belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints into a dumpster on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Ogden.

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Tommy Whitaker (left) and Matthew Kalil of Paul Davis Restoration at a vandalized Ogden LDS church on Tuesday, July 2, 2019. Kalil said vandals who smashed windows and doors and set fires inside "destroyed" the church. The vandals also defecated outside an entryway, Kalil said.

OGDEN — Debris from the burned and smashed interior of an Ogden church piled high in a construction dumpster Tuesday as worshipers and workers took stock of the damage inflicted by vandals recently.

“They destroyed this place,” said Matthew Kalil, team lead for Paul Davis Restoration, a contractor cleaning up the desecration for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Shattered windows and doors yawned to the open air as the demolition crew tore out wrecked contents inside the meetinghouse at 550 E. 900 North in Ogden.

BEN DORGER, Standard-Examiner

Arson damage to a church on Monday, July 1, 2019, in North Ogden. Michael Donovan Averett, 18, was accused of causing the fire in the church belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints late last week.

Bishop Jacob Bangerter, of the Mount Lewis 3rd Ward, said church functions have been moved to other meetinghouses in the area. The 4th Ward, which shared the building, also was relocated.

“I think it was handled well between the stake and the wards to coordinate all of that effort,” Bangerter said. “It happened on a Friday and by Sunday we were all ready to go at the other locations.”

Bangerter had been bishop of his northern Ogden ward for only about two weeks when the break-in occurred.

Maintenance workers arrived Friday to find broken doors and windows and smelled smoke inside. Several fires had been set.

Damage was estimated at $300,000, but Kalil said that in addition to the extensive wreckage, most of the church was damaged by smoke.

BEN DORGER, Standard-Examiner

Arson damage to a church on Monday, July 1, 2019, in North Ogden. Michael Donovan Averett, 18, was accused of causing the fire in the church belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints late last week.

“It’s sad to see the destruction,” Bangerter said. “A lot of ward members have expressed willingness to forgive. We hope the individuals involved will learn from their negative impacts.”

Weber County prosecutors on Monday filed three felony charges against Michael Donovan Averett, 18, of Taylorsville. He faces counts of arson, burglary and criminal mischief. Bond was set at $20,000 and he was returned to the Weber County Jail after a court appearance Tuesday.

Ogden police also interviewed a second person, a male juvenile, in the case. It was not clear whether the juvenile has been charged.

“It’s nice to catch the individuals,” Bangerter said.

He added that the congregation showed no fear in the wake of the vandalism. “There wasn’t any of that. People are just wanting justice.”

Kalil and Tommy Whitaker, interviewed outside one of the smashed entryways, were disgusted by the scene, and one other thing.

“They defecated out here,” Kalil said, pointing to the concrete porch a few feet away. “We had to clean all of that up too.”

BEN DORGER, Standard-Examiner

Arson damage to a church on Monday, July 1, 2019, in North Ogden. Michael Donovan Averett, 18, was accused of causing the fire in the church belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints late last week.

Charging documents against Averett made no mention of motive for the crimes, but Kalil thinks he knows.

“In my opinion, this is a hate crime, destroying someone’s church,” he said.

Kalil said options under consideration by church officials are to demolish the church, repair it or relocate the congregations.

Church spokeswoman Irene Caso said Tuesday afternoon the church has made no decisions yet on the extent of the project.

Tommy Whitaker, another restoration worker,  shook his head at the senselessness of the vandalism.

“I’m not LDS, but I know there is not one religion that says it’s OK to go destroy someone’s church,” he said. “This is not the Renaissance.”

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