Man faces charges after arrest at church

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Kevin L. Thompson, 30, of Republic Street has been charged with breaking and entering and resisting arrest after police found him inside St. John’s Church, 323 Wick Ave., during a church service Sunday morning.

Police waited until after the service had ended to take him into custody about 8:45 a.m. Thompson, who had been warned for trespassing at several locations in the past week, resisted arrest, police said.

Officers were called to St. Columba Cathedral near St. John’s about 8:10 a.m. after a security guard discovered a door window had been broken and Thompson was seen walking near the church entrance.

Thompson had red dye on his head and arms and walked toward St. John’s Church with a second security guard following him.

Meanwhile, Youngstown police found a towel inside the cathedral near the altar with red die on it and an empty pack of cigarettes nearby. Two candles had been lit by an unidentified person, the pastor of the cathedral said.

A man with red dye on his hands and head had been hanging around the church all morning, the pastor said.

After his arrest, Thompson told police he wiped his face on the towel because he was hot and left the cigarette pack in the cathedral as a calling card that “Red Man” had been there.

Police had seen Thompson at the cathedral at 6:24 a.m. Sunday after they responded to an alarm. Thompson admitted pulling on the doors because he wanted to go to church, police said.