Watch CBS News

2 'Ghost Hunters' Plead Guilty To Damaging Historic Church

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Two of the self-dubbed ghost hunters accused of breaking into a historic Litchfield church in May have pleaded guilty to criminal damage to property.

Court officials say 25-year-old Joseph Porter of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, entered the petition Tuesday afternoon and that his sentencing has been set for Sept. 9. Twenty-three-year-old Kyle Huber, of Victoria, entered the petition Wednesday morning. His sentencing is set for Sept. 21.

Huber was also charged with second-degree burglary. Court officials say that a plea agreement reached with prosecutors would dismiss this as long as the judge accepts the plea.

Porter, Huber and 23-year-old Todd Suurmeyer of Sioux Falls are accused of breaking into Ness Church on May 17 and damaging a monument. A fourth person, 24-year-old Brittani Roberts, of Sioux Falls, was also arrested in the incident but subsequently released.

The suspects are accused of breaking windows to get into the church, which is near a burial site that played a key role in the 1862 U.S.-Dakota War. The area has been the target of vandals for years, and ghost enthusiasts say it is haunted. Below is a video of alleged ghost sightings, shot by other ghost hunters. (Warning: The video contains strong language.)

Paranormal Sightings at Ness Church in Litchfield, MN by RedHandedRejects on YouTube

-----

Church board members, however, say there are no ghosts there – just a burial site and buildings. They say they regularly give tours to show there is no paranormal activity.

"People lived here all of their lives — went to this church all of their lives — and have never seen any signs of ghosts," church board member David Larson said following the break-in.

Along with breaking into the church, the suspects are accused of smashing part of a monument that marks where the first five of an eventual 490 war victims were buried.

Suurmeyer has a hearing scheduled for August. And Roberts has not been charged, although her case remains under review.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.