Suspect caught in church vandalism

A suspect has been arrested after causing an estimated $30,000 to $40,000 worth of damage to Welcome Travelers Baptist Church.

Michael Tony Isbell Jr., 26, of 561 Wire Road, Aiken, is currently being held at the Aiken County detention center on charges of second-degree burglary and malicious injury to real property, according to the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.

Kenneth Jenkins Sr. and his 4-year-old son, Kenneth Jr., arrived at the church, located at 617 Wire Road, around 9 a.m. on Saturday to care for the grounds and prepare the church for Sunday morning service, a tradition Jenkins learned from his father.

According to Jenkins, when he first pulled into the church parking lot, he noticed one of the windows was broken, but it was not until his son said, "Dad, there aren't any windows!" that he realized something terrible had happened.

"I was just shocked, devastated. I couldn't believe what I saw," he said. "You think stuff like this will never happen to you until it does."

Before he could even walk inside the church, Jenkins and his son saw the church's three large pulpit chairs.

"They were drug out in the field," he said as he pointed several yards away. "And the American flag from inside was stuck in the ground with the chairs surrounding them."

Once inside the building, Jenkins was not prepared for what he saw.

"Every window was broken out. They turned over the organ, threw the drums across the sanctuary, tossed the communion table, flipped over the pulpit; the refrigerator was leaning down, and food was scattered everywhere," said Jenkins.

"There is blood all over," he continued. "He dropped his cell phone and left bloody towels. Blood on the baptismal font, walls, pouring from the window, drippings all throughout. He tore up the organ, the bench. ... It is really heartbreaking."

Sheriff's office deputies responded to the call and brought the Aiken Bloodhound Tracking Team.

"When the bloodhounds came, they went straight to his house," said Jenkins.

According to Lt. Troy Elwell of the sheriff's office, investigators obtained a search warrant after the suspect had been tracked to a nearby residence. Upon entering the home, the suspect was found hiding under a bed.

"This is such a setback to us. We are a small congregation, trying to grow and do lots of things," said Jenkins.

Eight windows in the sanctuary were shattered, along with five more in the back of the church. At this time, no items have been reported missing.

The Jenkins family, along with the Rev. Donald E. Bookard, spent the day boarding the windows and trying to make sense of the events.

Contact Rachel Johnson at rjohnson@aikenstandard.com