PORTLAND, Ore. — A man was arrested after causing extensive damage while breaking into The Grotto in Northeast Portland on Wednesday morning.
According to the Portland Police Bureau (PPB), a man broke in around 5 a.m. into the Grotto Monastery, where its friars reside.
The executive director of The Grotto, Chris Blanchard, said the suspect, who was identified as 57-year-old Paul Joseph Yauger, came onto the property and broke security cameras before shattering the front windows of the monastery.
Blanchard said once inside, he broke pretty much everything that was glass, including some crucifixes and some religious art that was hanging on the walls. The man vandalized several rooms, including the chapel.
It was very frightening for Father Leo Hambur, who came face to face with the man, as he just got off the phone with security alarm company.
"I got up and called security right away and they told me to call 911. As soon as I got off the phone, the guy opened the door with a stick; I thought it was a gun," recalled Hambur.
Hambur said Yauger at one point grabbed a pair of scissors that were sitting on a table in the hallway.
"He picked up a pair of scissors. I saw the door was wide open, and I said, 'This my chance to get outside the house,'" said Hambur.
After Hambur ran outside, the suspect then barricaded himself inside Hambur's bedroom.
Yauger, "appeared as if he was experiencing a mental health crisis," PPB said. Police described him as "yelling and confrontational."
Yauger was then arrested and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center. He has been charged with burglary, criminal mischief and trespassing.
There are no reports of injuries.
Yauger was scheduled to appear in court Thursday afternoon, but refused to show up. He's expected to be brought into court Friday afternoon against his will.
PHOTOS: Northeast Portland monastery vandalized during break-in
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