A Nashville man has been arrested on suspicion of spray painting a racist symbol on the glass front door of the Nashville Public Library’s Green Hills branch. He is also alleged to have left ‘harassing’ voicemails to Green Hills Community Church. According to The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD), 49-year-old Charles Maguire has been arrested.
MNPD sources say that Maguire vandalized the library on December 14. Several weeks later, on Christmas Eve, he left harassing voicemails. Before the vandalism, Maguire was ordered to leave the library. According to the MNPD, the man has a history of harassing and threatening behavior toward the church. He has been arrested on vandalism charges several times.
Earlier in 2024, Maguire was arrested leaving harassing messages directed at the church. On November 30, he is alleged to have poured a bottle of apparent urine through a window slot. In this incident, he posted a $3,000 bond and was released. On the newest round of charges, the bond has been set at $2,000. We have reported on several similar events.
A pastor in California fought off an ax-wielding thief with marital arts. The burglar used an ax to smash open a window at the First Family Church in Antioch in the early hours of Thanksgiving morning. Pastor Nick Neves, who had gone to check on the church after hearing the security alarm go off, confronted him. The criminal, who has not been identified, tried to fight the preacher.
Neves, 46, told NBC News, “I shouted at him to stop, and that the police were on their way, and he ran and I grabbed ahold of him and we ended up wrestling in the parking lot of the church.” The two combatants grappled for nearly 15 minutes as Neves utilized some of his martial arts training. “I like to stay fit,” Neves explained. “And I studied some jiu-jitsu and kickboxing and I have a mixed martial arts background.”
The pastor explained how his training helped him “grapple with this gentleman without having to do much harm to him.” Neves was able to hold the intruder on the ground until police arrived. “I was able to pin him to the ground and he got up and tried to get away several times,” said Neves who is trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. “But just trying to wear him out because I knew I could outlast him.”
The pastor was unscathed and the burglar was taken into custody, according to local law enforcement. The First Family Church pastor said he wished the man had simply walked through the church’s front door. Had he done so the pastor would have taken care of him. The church already provides groceries for some 130 local families. However, the burglar chose another path.
“It’s just ironic,” the pastor said. “If he had come a couple of days earlier, he would have been blessed and get some food and be cared for. But he decided instead to smash windows and desecrate property and do something that’s going to hurt the ministries.” Members of the Church were thankful their pastor was able to handle the situation.
Jeff Strawther is a longtime member of Family First Church. He was thankful his pastor wasn’t hurt. “It could’ve gone in a different direction and we thank God that it didn’t,” Strawther said. “He’s very tough and we’re very grateful to God that he’s our pastor and not our enemy.” Other Churches have had violent run-ins as well over the holidays.