Man held on suspicion of vandalizing church

Suspect accused in Newport Beach crime was arrested in March in a similar case.

Newport Beach police arrested a 27-year-old man Saturday on suspicion of using a baseball bat to shatter the stained-glass windows at a church, a month after the suspect was arrested on suspicion of a similar offense in Costa Mesa.

Officers received a call about 2:45 a.m. from a neighbor who reported hearing breaking glass at Christ Church by the Sea in the 1400 block of West Balboa Boulevard, police said.

The Rev. Paul Capetz, a senior pastor at the church, arrived later to find the sanctuary’s windows shattered. The damage was extensive with repairs estimated to cost $80,000 to $100,000, he said.

“It was clear that there was an awful lot of damage done,” he said. “We had a crew of about 14 volunteers who worked for hours and cleaned up very thoroughly.”

Nicholas Briones of San Dimas was arrested at the scene on suspicion of felony vandalism and a probation violation, police said. Briones was arrested last month on suspicion of breaking into a church in Costa Mesa and causing several thousand dollars in structural damage.

Briones was believed to be suffering from mental illness, said Sgt. Shawn Dugan, a spokesman for the Newport Beach Police Department.

Investigators believe he planned to vandalize Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a Catholic church across the street, in the same manner.

“There was no indication of any hate crime motive,” Dugan said.

Capetz said he doesn’t believe the suspect has any ties to his congregation, which is one of the oldest churches in Newport Beach.

The church’s stainedglass windows, which depicted biblical scenes, were gifts from many church members who have since died.

Police boarded up the damaged windows and services resumed Sunday morning.

“It really does feel like a desecration,” Capetz said. “We have to pick up the pieces, both figuratively and literally, and move ahead.”

In March, Briones was arrested on suspicion of breaking into the First United Methodist Church of Costa Mesa on 19th Street, authorities said. An office at the church was ransacked and several items were missing.

The Rev. Matt Hambrick, a pastor at the church, later discovered the suspect hiding in the building. Briones was arrested and booked on charges of trespassing and obstruction of a peace officer.

The incident got Hambrick and fellow pastor Brian Tipton thinking about the problem of mental illness, which they later mentioned in their sermons.

“This is not an enemy, this is a person who needs help,” Hambrick said at the time. “We prayed for him individually on Sunday, and we continue to pray for him daily. These next steps in his life are going to be difficult.”