Incident at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Madawaska

MADAWASKA, Maine (WAGM) -

***UPDATE October 4th, 2023 10:21AM*** Official estimates from multiple vendors are pending, therefore the exact dollar amount is unknown at this time. The list of items is too lengthy to provide, but some of the major items that were damaged are multiple pieces of the pipe organ, marble walls, plate glass windows, solid wood doors, and multiple religious articles from the Sanctuary. No photos are being released as they are considered to be evidence. Additional charges are pending. The investigation is ongoing.

***October 3rd, 2023 09:13 AM*** According to the Madawaska Police department, early Monday morning officials responded to a report of suspicious activity at the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic church. When they arrived on scene, they contacted 47 year old Randy Lavoie of Madawaska. Lavoie was detained and eventually taken into custody by police and transported to the Aroostook County jail in Houlton where he was arrested and charged with burglary and aggravated criminal mischief, both felony level charges. He will be arraigned at a later date. According to officials, the scene was secured and processed by the Madawaska Police with assistance from the Maine State Police Evidence Recovery Technicians. Church officials say the estimated damage was in the range of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The case remains under investigation at this time and this is a story Newssource 8 will continue to follow.