6 church buildings vandalized in Sandy, another broken into in Orem

SANDY, Utah (ABC4) – Six church buildings owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were vandalized overnight Monday.

Last Thursday, a meeting house was vandalized, including a break-in at a church in Orem.

In Sandy, the vandalism was on building exteriors in the form of graffiti.

“It seems very targeted,” said Sgt. Craig Moffitt with Sandy City Police.

“We believe that they are all related,” added Moffitt, referencing the vandalism in Sandy.

Police say it’s possible, given the messages on buildings, that the vandalism is in response to a recent Associated Press article alleging the church covers up abuse through their helpline.

“I don’t want to assume or speculate that’s why that happened. But it’s quite plausible,” said Moffitt.

Some of the graffiti found in Sandy included references to child sex abuse.

On Wednesday, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a statement refuting the allegations in the AP article.