BIBLES INTENTIONALLY SET ON FIRE IN FRONT OF TN CHURCH ON EASTER SUNDAY

WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Deputies in Wilson County are investigating a suspicious incident after a trailer containing Bibles was reportedly set on fire Easter Sunday.

The Mt. Juliet Police Department, alongside the Mt. Juliet Fire Department, responded to a trailer fire at the intersection of Old Lebanon Dirt Road and Chandler Road at approximately 6 a.m. on Sunday, March 31.

Upon arrival, officials determined the trailer was within Wilson County’s jurisdiction and firefighters extinguished the flames.

After the flames were contained, deputies with the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) said they took control of the investigation and discovered the trailer had Bibles inside.

Deputies reported the trailer had been dropped off in the middle of the intersection and then was “intentionally set on fire.”

According to the WCSO, specific details about the incident will not be immediately released in order to uphold the integrity of the investigation. However, deputies ensured citizens that “the safety and security of our residents remains our utmost priority.”

Pastor Greg Locke of Global Vision Bible Church took to social media Sunday morning to share pictures of the trailer.

Locke, who lives close to the church, said he didn’t know what happened until he got to work Sunday morning.

“A trailer with about 200 Bibles had been set on fire blocking the entrance from Old Lebanon Dirt Rd. and Chandler Radford Rd. into the main part of our parking lot,” Locke said.

When Locke saw the burned Bibles in the trailer, he said he was shocked.

“It was strange because he [the suspect] had his blinkers on and he scotched the wheels and everything,” Locke said. “He was very meticulous, so he had to be very courageous to do what he did. We’ve had people do things to our building, we’ve been vandalized a number of times, hence why we have to have security, but never 200 Bibles being burned. That’s a pretty rebellious statement towards the church.”

Locke said it’s important for his congregation to move forward from this incident.

“What people think many times is going to stop us, really just encourages us, in a weird way, to know that we’re doing what’s right,” Locke said.

Anyone with information or additional camera footage of the incident is asked to contact the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office at 615-444-1459.