UPDATED: Man breaks into, vandalizes St. George LDS Temple; temple worker describes incident

Temple workers examine a part of a window on the St. George LDS Temple’s fifth floor that was broken out by a man who broke into the temple early that morning and vandalized the interior on his way through before being apprehended, St. George, Utah, May 12, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – Police were sent to the St. George LDS Temple early Saturday after a man broke in through a window and proceeded to damage furniture and artwork inside.


  • Update 3 p.m. Police have confirmed the identity of the man alleged to have vandalized the St. George LDS Temple.
  • Update 2:30 p.m. This report has been revised with photos of the temple and additional information about the incident from a temple worker.

Charles Gregory Logan, of St. George, Utah, bookings photo | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. Georeg News

The man entered the temple around 5 a.m. and made it to the fifth floor, causing additional damage along the way, said Eric Hawkins, spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The man was contained on the fifth floor by temple workers and was ultimately taken into custody by St. George Police officers.

Police identified the intruder Saturday afternoon as 22-year-old Charles Gregory Logan, of St. George.

Preliminary charges Logan faces include felony offenses for criminal mischief and burglary, as well as misdemeanors for assault, interfering with an arrest and disorderly conduct.

The incident required the temple to be closed for a brief period, but it has since resumed normal operations.

Mary Kessler, a temple worker on the Saturday morning shift, said she saw police at the entry to the temple when she arrived a little before 5 a.m. She, along with other temple workers and patrons, were asked to wait in the foyer for a time by police.

“They said there was an intruder in the temple, that he was upstairs somewhere,” she said.

The temple workers and patrons were eventually told to wait in the temple’s chapel area where they remained until around 6:20 a.m. During that time, they were given a little more information about what was going on.

“They told us (the intruder) had entered into the temple through a window in the sisters’ ordinance dressing room,” Kessler said, adding that a temple worker who had been in the room noticed the man and asked if he needed help.

A man who broke into the St. George LDS Temple early Saturday morning and vandalized the interior on his way through before being apprehended was able to make it inside through a ground-level window like the one shown in this photo, St. George, Utah, May 12, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

At the time, the temple worker was unable to tell if the intruder was male or female due to his look, she said.

The encounter appeared to spook the man, and he ran up to the temple’s fifth floor via a spiral staircase.

“Up there he did quite a bit of damage,” Kessler said. “He broke chairs and tables and lamps and windows.”

The man’s rampage came to an end when some of the temple workers contained him on the fifth floor and police took him into custody.

The intruder had bloodied himself from breaking furniture and busting out windows, Kessler said, adding that the blood got on the temple workers who she said “took him down.”

“He was bloody and they were bloody and the police came and they got him,” she said.

The man was subsequently taken by police to Dixie Regional Medical Center for a medical check.

A window on the fifth floor of the St. George LDS Temple that was broken out by a man who broke into the temple early that morning and vandalized the interior on his way through before being apprehended, St. George, Utah, May 12, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

While the 6 a.m. session at the St. George LDS Temple was canceled due to the short-lived mayhem, it was soon business as usual at the temple, which on a Saturday typically involves a busy schedule and a lineup of temple marriages.

While temple workers and patrons were waiting in the temple’s chapel, Kessler said one of the workers started playing the organ while another got up and led the group in singing church hymns.

The LDS church believes the temple to be the house of God and that regular attendance spiritually strengthens church members.

In order to attend the temple, church members must pass two separate interviews with church officials who establish they are “in good standing,” before being issued a temple recommend that must be displayed at the entrance of any temple before being allowed to enter.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Ed. Note: The temple worker, Mary Kessler, is related to the author of this report.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @MoriKessler

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

51 Comments

  • comments May 12, 2018 at 2:02 pm

    I don’t know if the mormons have equivalent of KGB/stasi or something running around utah, but if this guy just disappears one day…

    LOL 😉

    • St Geo May 12, 2018 at 4:14 pm

      You’re right. You just never know.
      So if this guy does just disappear one day… Who gives a rip?
      Not me.

      • Mike P May 12, 2018 at 9:38 pm

        So typical. Such warm church going people. So understanding, and claim to be so supportive of all. BUT ……..break into the Temple?? , and you hope a contract is put out on the guy ! LMAO !

        • R G King May 14, 2018 at 12:19 am

          We see what we are looking for. A little understanding goes a long way. And those who figure it is alright to hit a church for political reasons are a bit whacked out IMO.

  • SSTEED May 12, 2018 at 2:41 pm

    Very unfortunate disgraceful behavior. My impression is that its blow-back from a rogue element of the LGBT community, which is understandable considering the churches’ equally disgraceful treatment of them.

    • uprightandmovingforward May 12, 2018 at 5:00 pm

      And that disgraceful treatment by the church would be . . . . ?

      The 1st Amendment says: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . . . ”

      Every Church has the right to withhold membership to people who don’t want to follow its beliefs. If you don’t agree with that church, there are plenty other ones out there who will change their doctrine to accommodate just about anyone or anything no matter how low their moral standards are. So quit picking on the one church that actually stands up for what it believes in and doesn’t cower to every whim of public opinion.

      • Gcia May 12, 2018 at 10:12 pm

        Well said.

      • Rafiki May 12, 2018 at 11:19 pm

        Are you defending the LDS religion for not ‘bowing down to pressure’. You must have forgotten that ‘African Americans’ where once denied the “priesthood”…

        Did the Religion bow down to social pressure or did God change his mind about blacks holding his “priesthood”

        Hmmmmmmmmm, either way, “cowering down to public opinion” would be a god send ‘pardon the pun’ ….no?

        • Barbara May 13, 2018 at 8:20 am

          Church President David O. McKay emphasized that the priesthoodrestriction extended only to men of black African descent. The Church had always allowed Pacific Islanders to hold the priesthood, and President McKay clarified that black Fijians and Australian Aborigines could also be ordained to the priesthood and instituted missionary work among them. Why the restriction only to men of black African descent in the earlier years of the LDS church–because of slavery. When a people comes out of slavery they are used to following their master’s orders and following laws of chastity and others are ususally nonexistant. The Lord protected them by not requiring strict codes of conduct. People who do not understand this have no comprehension of the love of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ by teaching them the gospel after death in the spirit world. They don’t lose a thing and are not bound by committments they would have a hard time keeping in this life because of their circumstances.

          • comments May 13, 2018 at 12:26 pm

            That is quite a stretch. It sounds ridiculous and absurd. The mental gymnastics that you believers put yourselves thru is nothing short of amazing.

          • Real Life May 13, 2018 at 1:49 pm

            Wow. You people truly are brainwashed. Just wow.

          • Anejo May 13, 2018 at 3:43 pm

            “Having learned with extreme regret, that an article entitled, ‘Free People of Color,’ in the last number of the Star has been misunderstood, we feel in duty bound to state, in this Extra, that our intention was not only to stop free people of color from emigrating to this state, but to prevent them from being admitted as members of the Church.” Joseph Smith ~ History Of The Church 1:378-79.

            “Had I anything to do with the negro, I would confine them by strict law to their own species and put them on a national equalization.” Joseph Smith ~ History Of The Church Vol. 5 pp 218-219.

            “Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so.” Brigham Young ~ Journal Of Discourses Vol 10, pg 110.

            “You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, un- comely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind. ” Brigham Young ~ Journal Of Discourses 7:290 – 91.

            “How long is that race to endure the dreadful curse that is upon them? That curse will remain upon them, and they never can hold the Priesthood or share in it until all the other descendants of Adam have received the promises and enjoyed the blessings of the Priesthood and the keys thereof.” Brigham Young ~ Journal Of Discourses 7:290 – 91.

            “You may inquire of the intelligent of the world whether they can tell why the aborigines of this country are dark, loathsome, ignorant, and sunken into the depths of degradation …When the Lord has a people, he makes covenants with them and gives unto them promises: then, if they transgress his law, change his ordinances, and break his covenants he has made with them, he will put a mark upon them, as in the case of the Lamanites and other portions of the house of Israel; but by-and-by they will become a white and delightsome people” Brigham Young ~ Journal Of Discourses 7:336

            “In our first settlement in Missouri, it was said by our enemies that we intended to tamper with the slaves, not that we had any idea of the kind, for such a thing never entered our minds. We knew that the children of Ham were to be the “servant of servants,” and no power under heaven could hinder it, so long as the Lord would permit them to welter under the curse and those were known to be our religious views concerning them.” Brigham Young ~ Journal Of Discourses 2:172

            “And after the flood we are told that the curse that had been pronounced upon Cain was continued through Ham’s wife, as he had married a wife of that seed. And why did it pass through the flood? because it was necessary that the devil should have a representation upon the earth as well as God…” John Taylor ~ Journal Of Discourses 22:304

            “Not only was Cain called upon to suffer, but because of his wickedness he became the father of an inferior race. ” Joseph Fielding Smth ~ The Way To Perfection Pages 101 -102

            You get the idea. The church’s shift in position was purely down to external pressures. Easily researchable archives show that college teams were refusing to play BYU because of institutional racism. Missionaries and members globally were embarrassed at what they were being taught in Sunday school about people of color. The BSA was putting pressure on the church because they weren’t allowing men of color to become troop leaders. The giant golden ox in the room, of course, was that the church was in danger of losing it’s tax exempt status under President Carter because of their institutional racism. Same way they had a revelation about polygamy when it threatened their statehood.
            With all due respect. Please don’t p*** down my back and tell me it’s raining.

          • Rob83 May 14, 2018 at 5:52 pm

            Barbara, what source informed you that African Americans had no understanding of chastity or those were non-existent? When I took my history class I understood many African Americans believed in greater power and weren’t afraid of death. So please show me a reference that says that before they we’re freed they were barbarians. Along with that answer a few other questions I have about the Joseph Smith. Why does it prove in history all his many marriages, many to younger women and women who’s husbands were out spreading the word, on missions? Why did Jesus get upset when saw tax being collected to enter into the temple? What is the 10 percent required in the Mormon religion or they can not receive a temple recommend? Temples were necessary back then to conduct animal sacrifices, so when Jesus died for all and animal sacrafices aren’t asked for anymore, temples are no longer needed. In my opinion the Church is all Christians coming together to acknowledge that John 3:16 is what should always be the main focus when worshipping. Jesus should always be given all the credit, not a said man who claims to be a prophet assigned by God. When I attended a Mormon church it was always about the BOM and the prophets, well that takes away from what Jesus did for us. Along with God COMMANDING there is to be no other book added unto the BIBLE. Great if a Mormon truly works and spreads the word about Jesus and is a true Christian. My take, free masons, Mega Church, these things confuse other people and make them turn their back on God, is that the goal?

          • comments May 14, 2018 at 7:39 pm

            well stated, rob83. I believe their priority and ‘goal’ actually boils down to that 10%. All the rest is just fluff and filler.

        • ladybugavenger May 13, 2018 at 12:13 pm

          There was a time when blacks couldnt be President. Just sayin’ Religion and government arent God.

      • Platypus May 13, 2018 at 10:35 am

        Violating the constitution isn’t a necessary prerequisite for something to be disgraceful. For what it’s worth, I’m not commenting on LDS policies — just that your argument is a non sequitur.

        What’s certainly disgraceful is the individual’s behavior who broken into and vandalized a house of worship. There’s really no excuse for that.

      • SSTEED May 13, 2018 at 11:59 am

        Imposing their beliefs on everyone as law. I lived in downtown Salt Lake and saw what the city filled with during the pride parade every year- I find it disgusting and repulsive and its my opinion that children should not be exposed to that. At the same time I had friends who were gay, who I love and respect because they didn’t need to put it in my face. They were born with the same rights as everyone else, yet the church seems to want to take certain rights away. The worst thing though, in my opinion, is the way they’ve contributed to splitting up families over it.

        • uprightandmovingforward May 14, 2018 at 8:37 am

          The Church, nor the doctrine, splits families. The behavior of individuals split families. Individuals chose not to live according to God’s laws and it is individuals that split the families. For example, an alcoholic’s individual behavior tends to lead to broken families. The church’s position that alcohol is bad for you does not split the family, it is the individual’s decision to participate in an activity that can lead to splitting the family. To say that the Church is splitting families because it is following God’s law, then your argument would mean that God is splitting families with His laws.

          • SSTEED May 14, 2018 at 12:58 pm

            You are implying that the church doctrine is gods law and I hate to break it to you but its not. God will not forsake you even if you forsake god; but the church certainly will, and they put pressure on your friends and family to do the same.

          • uprightandmovingforward May 14, 2018 at 10:52 pm

            Church doctrine is God’s laws. God nor the church forsakes anyone, the sin of the individual severs the relationship. Unless rectified, the separation caused by sin becomes permanent. Only one who has been cleansed of sin through the atonement can re-enter the presence of God. God does not forsake but no unclean thing can enter the presence of God. Knowing this, why would anyone bow to public pressure and knowingly encourage sinful behavior through legalization of immoral behavior (that will ultimately only harm the individual in the end) .

          • comments May 15, 2018 at 11:21 am

            pure nuttery.

  • mickey mouse May 12, 2018 at 3:11 pm

    I wonder if they checked the cops temple recommend before they were allowed to enter

  • Steve May 12, 2018 at 3:24 pm

    The perp is probably on Opiates. LDS Inc needs to reconsider their stance on Medical Marijuana!

    • mesaman May 13, 2018 at 1:53 pm

      Your logic is as skewed as your position on marijuana. That said, I have seen this geek’s name over the urinal in the city park. “For a good time, call ____________”.

  • SteveSGU May 12, 2018 at 5:41 pm

    Very sad that a terrible person like this was able to damage the precious work of people who love the Lord. I notice he was wearing a shirt with an upside-down cross on it. I wonder if his motivations were actually satanic. May he learn his lesson and be humbled in prison. Well, every evil person will see that the Body of Christ will prevail and the work will go forward.

    • SilentThunder May 13, 2018 at 9:59 am

      Are you serious!? Do you even know what the upside down or inverted cross means? Get an education and read the bible instead of your book of mormon. Peter asked to be crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to be crucified the same as Christ.

      • Becca May 13, 2018 at 1:44 pm

        I’ve read the Bible and Peter’s death is referenced but not the manner of his crucifixion. Also, the inverted cross has also been used by satanists, so maybe you or maybe others could be right about the meaning on the perp’s shirt. Can’t we all just get along?

  • ladybugavenger May 12, 2018 at 7:07 pm

    Upside down cross on his shirt says it all.

    • comments May 12, 2018 at 11:03 pm

      yep, he’s a religious nutter/lunatic. Characters like this consider “satanism” a religion. This guy is just a lunatic/idiot combo. Likely need to be back on his meds.

      • SilentThunder May 13, 2018 at 10:02 am

        You both are idiots, read the meaning of the upside down cross or inverted cross. Your ignorance makes me sick. Ever read the bible, I am guessing no. Ever heard of Peter, yeah probably not because he isn’t in your book of mormon. He asked to be crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to be crucified the same as Christ. The inverted cross is nothing new and has been around long before the mormons.

        • ladybugavenger May 13, 2018 at 10:49 am

          I dont take kindly to you calling me an idiot in that tone.

          “The Cross of Saint Peter or Petrine Cross is an inverted Latin cross traditionally used as a Christian symbol, but in recent times also used as an anti-Christian or Satanic symbol.”

          In no means is he using an inverted cross as a Christian symbol. Christian’s dont destroy peoples property!!!!

          • ladybugavenger May 13, 2018 at 1:55 pm

            Hey Bob! Silent thunder thinks I’m Mormon. P.S. That’s how I was accepted in St George lol…people thought I was mormon!

          • comments May 13, 2018 at 6:26 pm

            SilentThunder is an idiot. It’s why I didn’t bother responding to him. The inverted cross is used as a symbol by “satanists” and imbecile death metal lovers. Maybe SilentThunder has them plastered all over his walls, but never have i seen them used by mainstream xtians.

  • Sheri May 12, 2018 at 8:42 pm

    That’s hilarious.. I wondered the same thing ?

  • Diana May 12, 2018 at 10:08 pm

    Has this guy been tested for drugs and alcohol?

  • vintagehippie May 13, 2018 at 9:55 am

    I had the same observation about the shirt with the upside down cross. I suspect that he may well have been a Satanist bent upon the destruction of things Christian.

    • comments May 13, 2018 at 12:28 pm

      well, except mormons aren’t christians.

      • uprightandmovingforward May 14, 2018 at 8:14 am

        Really! The Name of the Church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The entire church is centered around the teachings of Jesus Christ. For heavens sake, the Book of Mormon is a “second” testament that Jesus IS the Christ and does nothing but describe the teachings and doctrine of Christ. Can’t get more christian than that.

        • Uncle Rico May 14, 2018 at 1:26 pm

          This “Church” believes in a God and Jesus not of the Bible. So therfore, not Christian. The members are worshipping under false pretenses. And they are discouraged to research the truth about Joseph Smith.

          • Rob83 May 14, 2018 at 6:03 pm

            Yes, well said Uncle Rico. My understanding is God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, they are not separate beings. God is in spirit, Jesus is God showing humans how he would like us to live our lives and conquered death for us ,gave us a free gift of salvation, since he knew we couldn’t ever achieve complete perfectness and he loves us too much to allow Satan to win, and the Holy Spirit is God living inside every single person, that is why we are so important

          • uprightandmovingforward May 14, 2018 at 10:55 pm

            The Church believes in the Bible just as much as the Book of Mormon. Therefore, according to your definition, Mormons are Christians. Thanks for settling that once and for all!!!!

          • comments May 15, 2018 at 11:22 am

            LDS worship joe smith probably more than jesus. They(we? lol) are not xtians.

  • No Filter May 13, 2018 at 2:55 pm

    I don’t support breaking the law and he deserves to get his punishment, but it’s just a building, nothing special. This is only news because you Mormons think your imaginary friend lives there. The church will just get money from the poor to fix it back up so they can have their cult ceremonies again. All Hail Joseph Smith and his band of goons!

    • comments May 13, 2018 at 6:32 pm

      so true. Cultish, masonic sex cult rituals. I’ve been a mormon since I was 8, but have never had a “recommend” because I refuse to hand over 10% to them, plus I’m not gonna submit myself to “interviews”. And why would I bother? I’m a member of that club but don’t believe in it, don’t attend, and don’t pay. It offers nothing to me, and it isn’t even worth attending for the ‘social club’ aspect. It’s just of no interest and doesn’t suit my needs.

      • uprightandmovingforward May 14, 2018 at 6:55 am

        That is correct. If you don’t want to belong, then don’t. Why the need to bash it. No one tries to bash the club your a member of.

        • comments May 14, 2018 at 7:45 pm

          LOL, you have no idea what clubs I’m part of. How do know no one bashes my clubs? hahaha. What bothers me about mormons and mormonism is the hypocrisy. I deal with OTHER mormons on a daily basis and the amounts of hypocrisy I encounter with them in business dealings is astounding. As a general rule I’m more cautious dealing with LDS because I’ve noticed they are more likely to burn you in a business deal than secular non-religious folk. I don’t know why that is.

          I’ll say it again, I’m a fully registered mormon– have been since 8yrs old. I feel entitled to the right to criticize my own religion, thank you very much.

          cheers 😉

          • comments May 14, 2018 at 7:52 pm

            And that one example of hypocrisy is a tiny sliver of the overall hypocrisy of the LDS organization and so many LDS’ers. I won’t even start in on how the LDS organization has been the primary supporter and enabler of the FLDS pedophile cult. These “splinter groups” such as FLDS exist mainly because LDS indirectly enables them to exist. Many many powerful LDS are closeted polygamists. FLDS and LDS are tied thru tons of blood relative bonds and many backroom deals. Man, sometimes it amazes me how naive some of you LDS are.

  • John May 13, 2018 at 6:13 pm

    Vandalism is a crime. Comments about the LDS religion are unnecessary and foolish gossip! How would you clueless morons feel if this jackwad broke into your house and started breaking your windows and furniture?

  • Striker4 May 14, 2018 at 6:13 am

    I hope they throw the good book at him lol !

  • RadRabbit May 14, 2018 at 9:49 am

    I’m not LDS but this is sad you don’t damage or disrespect other people’s property especially houses of worship. This guy looks like a nutcase from the get go I hope they throw the book at him.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.