WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A Triad church has tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage. Someone broke into the Winston-Salem church and tore the place up.
The suspects busted in the rear windows, sprayed fire hydrants throughout the sanctuary, and wrecked the pastor's office. WFMY News 2's Hannah Jeffries got a closer look at the damage.
What churchgoers deem holy grounds were found in ruins.
“When I got to the church office and looked in there it was just shocking, papers thrown everywhere, bookcase pulled over, file cabinets opened, and paperwork pulled out and thrown on the ground,” Churchgoer Avenida Glenn said.
Lifelong member, Glenn said people broke into Dellabrook Presbyterian Church Tuesday not to steal, but to destroy.
“As far as we know nothing was taken, but of course, we can't determine that for sure by now, it's just mean, nothing is sacred anymore,” Glenn continued.
Ripped pews, busted doors, and dented nameplates were no comparison to the foam on the floor.
The suspects sprayed fire extinguishing powder all throughout the sanctuary and worship rooms.
The church was left to figure out a plan without a leader, Glenn said their pastor died a few years ago.
“So, we're trying to redefine our mission and decide where we want to go from here,” Glenn explained.
The mess forced church elders to call for special help.
“We vacuum up all the powder. Then, we use microfiber towels to wipe all the surfaces down horizontally and vertically, once we get that done, we do what's called a wet clean, to make sure that we removed all the contaminants,” said Vince Willis with SERVPRO of Winston-Salem North.
SERVPRO is taking action, with several staff members, to get the area ready for Sunday service.
“Even though all of this has been done to our church we realize we're still blessed and so we just want to come in and thank God and praise God and enjoy our church family,” Glenn said.
SERVPRO said repairs and mitigation will cost anywhere between $25,000 and $35,000.