Four local men were arrested Thursday morning in connection with two bombs left at local churches in DeRidder–one detonated, one did not–as well as several burglary and vandalism charges in Beauregard and Vernon Parishes.
 

Nobody was hurt in any of the instances.

The men, Nathan Lee, 17, of Rosepine; Sidney Fletcher, 21, of DeRidder; Timothy Free, 18 of DeRidder; and Anthony Martin, 17, of Rosepine were apprehended when Beauregard Parish Sheriff's Office deputies were called out to a burglary in progress at Three Pines Apostolic Church on Hwy. 112. Two men were found hiding at the scene; a witness provided BPSO with the license plate number, make and model of the vehicle that the other two men fled in.

Currently all four are in custody at the Beauregard Parish Jail waiting for bond to be set.

According to information gathered from BPSO, the events leading to the men's arrest began on Wednesday night with the vandalism of Cypress Creek Baptist Church in Vernon Parish. Several windows around the building were broken.

The next alleged crime was the burglary of a Frito Lay truck that was parked at the distribution plant on the Hwy 190 bypass.

From there it appears that the men robbed a fireworks stand and used explosives from the fireworks to create two bombs. One portion of the material was packed into a five-cell flashlight, which is an elongated version of a standard police officer's flashlight.

The rest of the material was placed in a Frito Lay travel coffee mug taken earlier from the truck they had robbed.

The mug-bomb was set off outside to the side doors at Grace Church's Champion's Center.

The outside glass panel of the double-paned doors shattered while the inside panel remained in tact.

The men's next and last known stop was around 10 p.m. at Three Pines Apostolic Church where they gained entry through unknown means The were in the process of stealing music and audio equipment when a church member arrived on the premises and "spooked them" according to BPSO Chief Deputy Joe Toler.

Two men left on foot, two by vehicle.

Toler attributed the quick discovery of the men to the joint work of DeRidder Police Officers and BPSO, as well as a phone call from the person residing in the family quarters at Three Pines.

Toler said "It was really a case where everyone was in the right place at the right time."

While investigating the burglary, a pipe bomb was found in the lobby of the church. State Police Emergency Services were immediately notified. With the use of a robot recovery vehicle, Bomb Technician Shelly Hopkins successfully disposed of the bomb.

According to Toler, the materials used to make the pipe bomb found at Three Pines "could have caused significant damage, possibly even loss of life." That bomb was not only larger than the mug-bomb found at Grace, but also the explosive matter was encased in a metal container which had the potential to add shrapnel to the explosion.

After the discovery of the bomb at Grace Church, city and parish police officers searched local churches for other possible devices; none were found.

While police officers do not believe there are any more bombs, local church officials are advised to check their churches for any suspicious looking objects. If any such objects are found, officers urge residents to not touch the objects, but to immediately notify police by calling 911 or 337-463-3281.

According to reports from local police authorities, the only connection the men have between the two facilities is that the father of one of the charged men attends both churches' services.

Police also said that the men had no prior crimes or convictions that would have caused authorities to be suspicious of them.

BPSO is working to have bonds set for the men by late Friday afternoon.

All four are currently being charged by BPSO with Aggravated Burglary, Theft and Manufacture and Possession of a Bomb. DeRidder Police will add their own charge of Simple Arson of a Religious Building.

All of the charges are felonies.

Toler said "all four are looking at substantial jail time."

Additional reporting by Aaron Powers and Pamela Hickman.