STEVENS POINT − A man out on bond for vandalizing a church is facing a new charge for the same offense.
Jute T. Handrick, 35, of Stevens Point, faces new charges of criminal damage to religious property and felony bail jumping. He previously was charged Aug. 19 with criminal damage to religious property. Handrick was released Oct. 3 on a $750 signature bond.
According to the new criminal complaint, on Oct. 4, the day after he was released from jail, the pastor of Christ the Rock Church, 4701 Industrial Park Road in Stevens Point, reported a broken door. Someone had left behind a note that said, “tell Jesus to heal my suicide love Jute.”
When an officer saw the note, he saw it was written on the back of a Department of Corrections Probation and Parole card for Handrick, according to the complaint.
The pastor said he arrived at the church about 7:20 a.m. and found the front door smashed in, according to the complaint. The pastor was concerned because the church had been vandalized about a month earlier.
The officer walked around the church with the pastor and found a horizontal, two-pane window with both panes of exterior glass broken and shards on the ground underneath the window, according to the complaint.
The officer talked to Handrick about what happened and Handrick said he got angry and suicidal with God. Handrick said he found a rock on the church property and threw it through the front door and window in the front of the church, according to the complaint. Handrick said he knows God can cure him of his addiction with the snap of his fingers and Handrick doesn’t understand why he must suffer through cravings, according to the complaint.
Handrick said he feels the cravings far less when he is in prison and wanted to go back.
Handrick is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on the first charge Oct. 20. He’s scheduled for an initial appearance on the new charges Nov. 17. He’s currently being held on a $1,000 cash bond set by Portage County Circuit Judge Louis Molepske Jr.
Contact Karen Madden at kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen.madden.33.
This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: Stevens Point man charged with damaging church for second time in less than three months
Reporting by Karen Madden, Stevens Point Journal / Stevens Point Journal
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