A 33-year-old man broke into the Provo City Center Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Provo, Utah, claiming he wanted to escape from the cold weather, police reports say.
Sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning, the man broke a stained glass window valued at $4,000 with a metal tray, unlocked the door, and entered the temple. Man arrested for breaking into Provo temple
When alerted to the break-in on Monday, police received video footage of the incident and identified the man as someone currently under the supervision of Adult Probation and Parole. He was arrested Tuesday, December 6, and initially denied involvement until he was shown the video footage. He is currently in Utah County Jail as an investigation of burglary is underway.
The man told police he didn’t want to be on the streets and wanted to get out of the cold. Upon entering the temple, he walked around, grabbed water, and eventually left. No items were stolen.
No evidence has been provided at this time to support the man’s claims or suggest he remained in the temple for an extended period of time. More information will be shared as released.
The man was booked into the Utah County Jail for investigation of burglary.
