Maryland churches marred by arson and vandalism see additional damage Monday
BALTIMORE -- Maryland churches are at the center of various investigations into arson and vandalism—a trend that has continued over the weekend and into Monday.
Overnight Sunday, a blaze was apparently set at St. Jane Frances De Chantal Parish, forcing worshippers to attend mass at an alternate location Sunday morning, news outlets reported.
Dozens of firefighters responded to an alarm at the church around 2 a.m. and quickly extinguished the fire, according to the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.
The fire involved several pews in the main church area, Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the agency, tweeted. No injuries were reported.
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said on Monday that he had reached out to church leadership to see if they needed assistance following the attacks.
"Attacks on houses of worship in Montgomery County are completely unacceptable," Elrich said. "The criminal activity that took place over the weekend does not represent the values of inclusion and equity that we are striving for in the communities of this County. We pride ourselves on our diversity of religious communities. A hateful incident against one community impacts us all."
A separate attack occurred closer to Baltimore.
Around 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Anne Arundel officers learned that a church in Gambrills, Maryland, had been targeted by someone who left behind a racially motivated message, according to authorities.
They went to investigate a report of vandalism at the New Hope Community Fellowship Church in the 900 block of Annapolis Road and found graffiti on the outside of a door, according to the Anne Arundel Police Department.
Officers also found newspapers and litter scattered around the property, police said.
Evidence collection technicians were asked to collect evidence of the crime, according to authorities.
Anyone with any information on vandalism at the New Hope Community Fellowship Church should call 410-222-6155 or the TipLine at 410-222-4700.