FULSHEAR – A group of teens could face prosecution after surveillance photos at a historic Fulshear church allegedly captured them trespassing and causing criminal mischief.
The Fulshear Police Department said it happened on July 12 at Pleasant Hill Cemetery Church around 8:40 p.m.
Investigators said four teens bypassed the boarded-up door and entered the nearly 200-year-old church, which is a historic landmark. Det. Bobby Villa said the teens left and returned at 9:30 p.m. with two additional people.
“We’ve had repeated reports of criminal mischief and trespassing at the location, so in response to that, we did some repairs to the church and also installed some surveillance cameras for still shots just in the event it occurred again,” said Villa.
Villa said the cameras captured clear images of the teens described as three 18-year-old males, a 16-year-old female, a 17-year-old female and a 19-year-old female. Fulshear police posted the photos on Facebook Sunday, and by Monday all six teens were identified.
“We got a lot of tips through Crime Stoppers, and because of that, pressure on social media, one of the subjects contacted us, which we had already identified through Crime Stoppers,” Villa said. “But it did solicit who we were looking for.”
Rev. Jackie Gilmore Sr. is the pastor of the historic church, which evolved into Greater Zachary Missionary Baptist Church. He said the church moved to a new building two years ago, leaving the Bois D’Arc Lane location abandoned and a target of trespassers.
“We started work to restore it and they went and broke all the windows out,” Pastor Gilmore said. “Like I said, graffiti, they tore the pews up, they kicked the doors in.”
Gilmore said he’s given warnings to trespassers in the past. This time he said he wants the teens prosecuted.
“We thought it was an abandoned building. We thought it was haunted. We just thought it would be something cool to do,” said Villa. “That may be the reasoning of a teenager, but you have to understand that’s someone else’s property, and when you are forcing entry into someone else’s property, that’s not a light charge.”
If prosecuted and convicted, the teens would have a Class B misdemeanor on their records. So far, no charges have been filed.