Vandals Hit Montana Mormon Church Again

For the second Sunday in a row, the Mormon church in Livingston was the target of vandalism, Bishop Mike Killorn reported.

Vandals chopped down trees and broke glass panes at the Livingston ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“We’ve never had nasty calls or vandalism,” Killorn said, calling the incidents “disturbing.”

Livingston police are investigating, but Chief Steve McCann said he was not ready to label the vandalism a hate crime.

“I’m reluctant to say it’s being vandalized because it’s an LDS church,” McCann said. “I think the location has a lot to do with it. It’s an out of the way place shaded by the hill.”

The first episode occurred April 19 or 20, when a young flowering crab tree was chopped down.

This past Sunday, Killorn arrived to find three more trees downed, plus damage to a full-length doublepane glass door and a window.

Killorn is the first person to arrive at the church. Others start coming for the 9 a.m. service between 8 and 8:30 a.m.

“The first time was frustrating enough,” Killorn said. “The second time was even worse.”

All the trees, four flowering crabs and one aspen, were about 6 to 9 inches around, each worth about $300.

The glass on both the door and window must also be replaced.

The perpetrator obviously knew how to handle an ax, Killorn said.

“The tree was notched on one side like Paul Bunyan and hacked a couple of times on the other side,” Killorn said. “It was definitely an ax, not a hatchet.”

The church is increasing security, Killorn said.