Iredell County man arrested for theft and vandalism at local church

IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — An Iredell County man was arrested early Thursday morning after a sheriff’s deputy caught him dismantling air conditioning units at a church in Harmony. Jonathan Ryan Taylor, 35, faces multiple felony charges following a short foot pursuit at Holly Springs Baptist Church.

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The incident occurred at approximately 2:42 a.m. on Thursday, during a routine security check on Houstonville Road. Taylor is charged with felony larceny and felony injury to real property to obtain non-ferrous metals after investigators found two air conditioning units had been destroyed.

Deputy B. Lee was on patrol in the area of Houstonville Road in Harmony when he entered the Holly Springs Baptist Church property to conduct a security check.

Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell said Lee observed a vehicle parked beside the building and a man standing behind it wearing a face mask and gloves.

When the man noticed the deputy, he immediately fled on foot. Following a short pursuit, Lee took the man into custody and identified him as Taylor.

Investigators determined that Taylor was in the process of dismantling and stealing the church’s air conditioning units. According to the sheriff’s office, two units had already been completely destroyed.

Taylor had gained access to two additional units before he was interrupted by the deputy, which prevented further damage to the HVAC system.

Taylor was transported to the Iredell County Detention Center to appear before Magistrate Hollar. The magistrate found probable cause for the felony larceny and property damage charges, as well as a misdemeanor charge of resist, obstruct and delay.

Taylor was issued a $50,000 secured bond.

Records indicate that Taylor has a prior criminal history in the region. His past offenses include misdemeanor second-degree trespass and multiple traffic violations.

The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office is encouraging local churches and businesses to check their air conditioning units and exterior equipment today. Officials ask anyone who discovers suspicious activity or believes they may have been the victim of a similar crime to contact the sheriff’s office immediately at 704-878-3100.

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