Idaho, Pocatello Stake Center Vandalized - August 14th, 2026

[Pyreaux]

Idaho, Pocatello Stake Center Vandalized

https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/crimes_court/police-young-children-extensively-vandalize-pocatello-lds-stake-building/article_46dd379d-86e1-4e38-ac85-8e0d0c9c1693.html

According to Police, Friday, August 14, 2026, at the Pocatello Stake Center on Bartz Way, located adjacent to Idaho State University’s Stephens Performing Arts Center. Sometime between 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM, three neighborhood children, two girls and one boy, ranging in age from 8 to 10, entered through an unlocked door and caused several thousand dollars in property damage. A case that may have begun as opportunistic trespass but escalated into very methodical destruction.

What Went Down

They found an unlocked exterior door and entered the unattended building. Once inside, the children spent many hours moving through the facility. Rather than a quick hit-and-run, the physical evidence pointed to sustained activity. The children deliberately stuffed materials into multiple toilets to clog them and left the water running to flood restrooms and spill into adjacent hallways. They located paint cans inside the building, tipped them over, and poured or smeared paint across carpeted areas.  Beyond simply tipping items over, the children systematically broke numerous glass objects, decor, and internal fixtures, leaving shattered glass and debris scattered across rooms.

The Cost

A church member discovered the disarray Friday evening and called local law enforcement. Pocatello police officers who responded noted that the interior was in severe disarray, stating that while the damage easily topped the $1,000 threshold, the full restoration cost would be significantly higher once carpet cleaning and drywall/water remediation were evaluated.  

How They Were Caught

The investigation proved short-lived due to physical evidence left at the scene. Officers arriving at the stake center noticed footprints leading away from the spilled paint and liquid inside the building. Patrol officers literally tracked the wet footprints out of the building and down the street directly to nearby homes in the immediate neighborhood.

All three children (ages 8, 9, and 10) were identified later that evening. Because of their age, police released them directly into the custody of their parents, who officers noted were fully cooperative with the investigation. Each child was formally cited with misdemeanor malicious injury to property. Their identities remain protected under juvenile privacy laws.

Not Targeted?

While breaking glass and clogging drains can look targeted at first glance, investigators concluded it was an extreme case of unsupervised escalation, three young kids finding an empty, unlocked building, upon realizing they were unmonitored, and then progressively testing how much damage they could cause until they were finished.

[Calm]

They should be required to clean the church weekly under supervision of their parents (assuming the parents are not abusive, the families should be investigated just in case, but it sounds mostly like bad decisions and getting carried away by adrenaline acting on undeveloped brains rather than full out maliciousness…though given the charge maybe I am wrong) for a year.  It’s not going to be worth what they damaged, but consequences even at that age should matter.  
 

Quote

Patrol officers literally tracked the wet footprints out of the building and down the street directly to nearby homes in the immediate neighborhood.

If only all crimes were so easily solved. 

Edited Sunday at 10:47 PM by Calm

[Pyreaux]

Here leaving a door unlocked is a huge no-no. Like, bringing your calling into jeopardy at the very least. The keys are controlled and they are all on point. Though most of the Bishopric here also work for Pop-a-lock, so maybe we're just lucky it's never left unlocked.

Hopefully insurance will cover it?

Edited Monday at 03:07 PM by Pyreaux

[Calm]

7 hours ago, Pyreaux said:

Here leaving a door unlocked is a huge no-no. Like, bringing your calling into jeopardy at the very least. The keys are controlled and they are all on point. Though most of the Bishopric here also work for Pop-a-lock, so maybe we're just lucky it's never left unlocked.

Hopefully insurance will cover it?

I thought the Church was self insured for such things, which is one reason they are strict on how the kitchen is used and the no fire, no candles, no hay at Halloween rules.

[Notatbm]

2 hours ago, Calm said:

I thought the Church was self insured for such things, which is one reason they are strict on how the kitchen is used and the no fire, no candles, no hay at Halloween rules.

They are self insured. They do have a “Lloyd’s” type policy that covers major expenses I’m thinking in the millions. It’s what they try to pay off major child abuse lawsuits with although I think they will eventually get dropped for that category. Criminal damage, accidents etc once liability reaches a certain ceiling the Lloyd’s policy kicks in. I don’t think they are actually insured by Lloyd’s, but the policies would be similar.

[Amulek]

20 hours ago, Pyreaux said:

Here leaving a door unlocked is a huge no-no. Like, bringing your calling into jeopardy at the very least.

In our building, there's one person from each ward who has been called to check the building at night to ensure it's locked up. They swing by around 10pm, make sure everything looks good, and then call it a night. If they see anything suspicious, they are not supposed to engage - just report the incident and leave it for the police to investigate. There are four units in the building, so it's only once every four months (not too bad).