Rural church robbed on Christmas [The Daily Independent, Ashland, Ky.]

Dec. 31--WHITEHOUSE -- Pastor Richard Salyers says he has no doubt about what caused a Christmas night burglary at Whitehouse Community Church, located in one of Johnson County's most rural communities.

"Pill money. Without a doubt that's why it happened," said Salyer, who says he has observed a noticeable increase in prescription drug abuse activity there.

Salyer said a church member called him the morning after Christmas and told him about the break-in, and several of the church's 30 members were already there when he arrived to inspect the situation. The pastor, who is also a deputy sheriff in Johnson County, said he found a heavy steel door leading into the church basement had been partially forced open, allowing someone to reach inside and unlock it.

Salyer said the entry seemed odd because the burglar or burglars could have more easily broken in through a glass window, but apparently chose to apply force to the heavy door instead.

Salyer said approximately $2,700 worth of items were taken from the church, and his wife reported the missing items included two dehumidifiers, two carpet-covered speaker boxes, two sound mixers, an amplifier, a karaoke machine and a recently purchased projector as well as a 16-gallon Shop-Vac and a standard carpet vacuum. The pastor said the church's insurance would likely cover about $1,000 of the loss, although he suspects the church members will vote to "not even turn it in at all."

Salyer said whoever was responsible for the burglary appeared to have pulled a small truck near the church to haul everything away, and possibly switched vehicles after making their getaway. Considering the relatively isolated nature of the Whitehouse community, which relied on a small swinging bridge for foot access to the nearest neighboring community until the state recently completed a vehicle bridge, Salyer said whoever was responsible was likely from the area.

"We have some suspects," he added.

The pastor confirmed the church is offering a $1,000 reward for information resulting in the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for the burglary. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Johnson County Sheriff's Dept. at (606) 789-3411 or Salyer at (606) 297-4864.

TIM PRESTON can be reached at tpreston@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2651.

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