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CENTERVILLE — Police have arrested a Centerville teenager in connection with a church break-in that took place last November in which a woman was assaulted while practicing the organ.
The 71-year-old woman was inside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 270 N. 300 East in Centerville about 9 p.m. on Nov. 17, 2018, when someone came up behind her and started choking her, according to police.
The woman had minor injuries to the neck, but was strangulated into unconsciousness multiple times during the incident, according to police. The building was locked, and the woman had heard pounding on the chapel door about 30 minutes before the assault, police said.
Police arrested a 17-year-old boy on Wednesday in connection with the case, according to a Wednesday news release from the Centerville Police Department.
Police did not provide the boy’s name, but said he was booked into the Farmington Bay Juvenile Detention Center for investigation of aggravated burglary and assault. He is from Centerville but was arrested in Kaysville, police said.
There is no known relationship between the woman and the boy who was arrested, Centerville Police Chief Paul Child said in the release.
Investigators collected DNA evidence from the scene from the church intruder, who got into the building by breaking a window, police said Wednesday. Detectives also found DNA on items that the intruder left behind at the church, the news release states.
They were able to match the DNA from the scene to the boy who was arrested Wednesday, police said.
Police told the woman who was attacked about the arrest and said she expressed relief, the release states.
