According to a report from Officer Sarah O’Hara of the Cobb County Police Department, detectives in the Criminal Investigations Unit of Precinct 1 made an arrest yesterday evening in the church vandalism case that has been under investigation since the April 29 of this year. Clint Vance, 32, of Kennesaw, was arrested on suspicion of three counts of vandalism to a place of worship. Investigators expect more charges to be added from Cobb and Cherokee counties as well.

[Correction: the original version of this article stated Vance was 36 years old.  The Cobb County Police Department corrected its earlier error in a public information release]

The booking information from the Cobb County Sheriff’s office states Vance has tattoos of characters from The Simpsons on both arms.

Multiple incidents of church vandalism in April and May

The original public information release from the Cobb County Police department described the incidents as follows.

Cobb County Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Unit at Precinct One (CIU 1) is investigating multiple incidents between April 29, 2018 and May 8, 2018 in which places of worship were vandalized with red spray paint.

 Per investigators, a male (who is believed to be working alone) arrived at places of worship in the early morning hours and then spray painted the buildings. In addition to painting vulgar and satanic phrases, he also painted what can best be described as sacrilegious symbols to include crosses with circles around them and lines striking through them.

 One worship house had exterior security cameras and captured video of the male spray painting the building. The security footage is attached as well as still photographs. 

 The subject is described as a white male, 35 to 50 years of age, partially balding with brown hair, 230 to 280lbs, and approximately 5’10” to 6’02” tall. He has a distinctive gait that can be seen in the security footage. He appears to have driven a light colored 2008 to 2011 Hyundai Elantra in the video.

A further report stated:

Criminal Investigation Unit detectives at Precinct One (CIU 1) are continuing to seek leads in an effort to identify the male who was caught on camera defacing Noonday Baptist Church on Canton Road and is believed to be responsible for vandalism caused to multiple other places of worship between April 29, 2018 and July 1, 2018.

 The Church of Christ at North Cobb has now experienced three separate incidents of vandalism in which satanic phrases and offensive language have been spray painted on the building. Another location, a private residence, has also been added to the list of structures vandalized by presumably the same subject.