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You'll read about worse, more violent crimes, but few as sickening and senseless as the mass vandalism of an Aiken, S.C., church over the weekend.

Nearly every window of Welcome Travelers Baptist Church was broken out -- and inside, as the sheriff's department said, "anything and everything that could be broke was broke." That means every piece of musical equipment, organ included, the refrigerator, furniture and more. Some $40,000 damage.

Aiken County officers used bloodhounds to find and arrest 26-year-old suspect Michael Tony Isbell Jr. No word on a motive late Monday. But no motive can explain such senselessness anyway.

People are responding with the usual unexpected kindness. Churches and others are offering to help make Welcome Travelers whole. We hope more do so.

The good news is, the good guys outnumber the bad guys by a ridiculous amount. This will only prove it.

Comments

patriciathomas

There's never a reason for vandalism, just excuses. Isbell must have some serious personal problems to commit this act.

curly123053

The love of God will show over the hate of satan anytime !

I4PUTT

The penalty must include probation until restitution is made. Criminals must truly be held accountable for their actions. If he gets 60 days behind on restitution he should return to prison, then payments resume each time upon release..

yak11

And yet not one photo of this scum has run....I would make this pariah a fixture for a few days.

rufus

4putt, I agree but you know as well as I do that he will never earn enough to pay it off. He'll cost taxpayers money in prison. He'll cost taxpayers money living off of the federal dole out of prison. All we can hope for is that he'll get drunk and ride his bike off of a cliff.

shamrock

They just arrested him late Monday so maybe the paper didn't have a chance to get the photo, but I like the idea of plastering his mug here and on TV for a while. Forget restitution. Get a prison guard watch him 10 hours a day while he performs and and every physical job the church needs for six days a week. Then make him attend that church every Sunday!

willistontownsc

No excuse for vandalism in any place -- no matter if it is a church or another business. Anyone who vandalizes, firebombs, or threaten to bomb ANY business should have their mug plastered all over the web and be vilified by the public.

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