Cloverdale men charged in two church burglaries
Three Cloverdale men are each facing eight felony counts following a pair of late-night church burglaries.
Kevin M. Bain, 26, Michael Wade Davis, 22, and Justin Phillip Delp, 23, were charged in Putnam Circuit Court on Thursday for the alleged crimes. Cloverdale Christian Church and Mt. Hebron Community Christian Church, both in rural Cloverdale, were burglarized in the late night/early morning hours of Oct. 25 and 26.
Each man faces two counts each of Class B felony burglary, Class B felony conspiracy to commit burglary, Class D felony theft and Class D felony conspiracy to commit theft.
All three men are housed at the Putnam County Jail on $30,000, cash only bonds.
According to court records, Delp admitted to both burglaries in an Oct. 26 interview with Putnam County Sheriff's Department Detective Virgil Lanning.
Delp said the three men first broke into Cloverdale Christian Church at 11961 S. State Road 42. He said Bain smashed a side window, then went in and let the other two in the side door.
He said they went inside, grabbing a computer, two computer monitors and some drinks from the refrigerator.
Investigation of the church showed the scene as Delp had described. The missing items were located in the car the three men were driving.
The alleged burglary of Mt. Hebron Church, 1339 W. CR 1000 South, took place at approximately 3 a.m. Bain made entry through a rear window, Delp advised, and then opened the door for the others.
Taken from the second church were electonics, including an electric bass guitar and amplifier; a wooden "Tithing Box" containing $80 in cash and numerous checks; an Allied socket set; and various food items.
Delp advised Wade and Bain took the food items because they had the "Xanex munchies."
Documents indicate that after leaving the church, the three men drove north to the Tobacco Road Marathon station at State Road 243 and Interstate 70. Delp said they pulled up to the dumpster on the building's east side and broke the box open.
He said they took the $80 and tore up the checks before driving back toward Cloverdale.
A clerk at the station noticed the suspicious activity and found the broken box in the dumpster after the car had departed. He called dispatch, and Deputy Dwight Simmons responded to the scene, beginning the investigation.
After leaving the Marathon station, Delp said he, Bain and Davis drove to Stardust Hills, where they bought methamphetamine with the $80 from Mt. Hebron. He said they then went to the Cloverdale BP at U.S. 231 and I-70 and did the meth in the bathroom.
While they were parked at the BP, Deputy Mike Downing located the vehicle they were driving, a 1996 Chevrolet Monte Carlo registered to Angela L. Moss. Delp said as they walked back to the car and saw Downing they knew they were in trouble.
In interviews with Simmons, both Delp and Bain implicated themselves and Davis in discarding the wooden box. Davis said he had no involvement and knew nothing about the crimes.
The deputies got the permission of Moss, who was working as the attendant at the BP, to search her car. She said she had let the three men borrow the car for the night.
Upon searching the vehicle, Simmons and Downing found the computer, computer monitors, a 60-cup coffee maker, various food items, the bass guitar and amplifier and four window treatments later identified as coming from Mt. Hebron Church.
Parties from the two churches were contacted, noting what items were missing from the buildings as well as identifying items from the vehicles as belonging to the churches.
The three men were taken to the Putnam County Jail between 8 and 9 a.m. Oct. 26 and booked on preliminary charges of receiving stolen property.
The official charges were filed by Putnam County Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter on Oct. 27.