TWO TEENS ARRESTED FOR VANDALIZING CHURCH WITH FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

CHAFFEE -- Two teen-agers were arrested for vandalism and burglary at a church on Friday, Chaffee police said.

"The sad thing is one of them was a member of the church," Police Chief Keith Carr said.

Police were called by staff at First Baptist Church shortly after 8 p.m. on Thursday. They discovered that office doors had been broken open and seven large fire extinguishers were sprayed throughout the three floors of the building, Carr said.

The chemicals from the fire extinguishers caused extensive damage.

"Imagine dumping 50 pounds of flour in a room," Carr said. "Whenever you try to pick it up it just gets stirred back up into the air, and that stuff makes it hard to breathe."

The boys, ages 13 and 14, had forced their way into the church and splattered paint on the interior walls, he said.

No estimate of the cost of the damage has been made yet.

As for burglary, it appears very little was taken, although church staff continue to check for missing items.

"They took less than a dollar of pocket change," Carr said.

The two were taken into custody by the state Division of Youth Services. They face charges of first-degree burglary, a class B felony, the police chief said. The charge was elevated from a class C felony since people were in the church at the time of the burglary.