Man accused of trashing historic church indicted on several charges

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — A man has been indicted in connection to a break-in and vandalism of a former church, according to Montgomery County Prosecuting Attorney Mat Heck.

Kurt Griggs, 44, of Carlisle, is facing charges of burglary of a habitation, vandalism, vandalism of a business, and criminal damaging.

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On the morning of Feb. 29, Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to 3680 Wagner Ford Road in Harrison Township on reports of a person throwing rocks at the building and breaking windows, Heck said.

When deputies arrived, they located Griggs at the building.

The building was a church but has been converted into two apartments and a photography studio, Heck said.

Deputies went inside the building and discovered it had been ransacked.

Several windows inside and on a vehicle were broken.

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“This defendant is no stranger to the criminal justice system, having been arrested around 35 times over the past two decades. In fact, he was released from prison in 2019 after being sentenced to 4 years for a drug conviction. Now he has caused significant damage and financial loss to a historic church building and those who lived or worked there,” Heck said.

Griggs is being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $50,000 cash bond, Heck said.

He will appear in court on Thursday, March 14 at 8:30 a.m.

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