For about an hour and a half Tuesday night, a man inside Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Springfield, Mo., was involved in a standoff with local police. When the suspect finally surrendered, there were no injuries or deaths. There was just damage done to the church. Police and prosecutors now have the task of determining a motive for the alleged crime of 33-year-old Bobby Joe McHaffie.
* The Springfield News-Leader reveals two priests and a Boy Scout leader were in the church after discovering vandalism on the front of the building. The Boy Scout leader then confronted the perpetrator who proceeded to wield a gun. All three men escaped the building unharmed and called police.
* A standoff with police lasted around 90 minutes after police surrounded the building and created a perimeter. A SWAT team was sent in after McHaffie's surrender to make sure no one else was inside the building.
* Police spokesman Lt. Scott Umbarger told the News-Leader, "We don't know why [the intruder] did this." The perpetrator had a handgun on him which he dropped upon giving himself up.
* KSPR reports a priest told a 911 dispatcher a man was inside throwing things. The news media outlet also reveals Immaculate Conception Catholic Church was vandalized three weeks ago. No connection has been made between the previous vandalism and this new incident.
* KOLR states the suspect came out of the building on his own before re-entering the church. When McHaffie came out a second time, he was arrested at about 10:30 p.m. Police stayed on the scene until 12:30 a.m. Wednesday to ensure no one else was in the building.
* A search of Missouri Case Net records reveals 19 court records for someone with the same name and age as McHaffie. Past criminal convictions include possession of marijuana in 2002 for which McHaffie received five years probation and 120 days in jail.
* In 2010, McHaffie received a two-year jail term for a conviction on charges he resisted arrest in November 2009. That was a felony charge which occurred shortly after a protection order for adult abuse was put out against McHaffie. The convict has also had several probation hearings.
* Shortly after the perpetrator's jail term ended in early 2012, a divorce case was filed in Stone County. The case was a default judgment against McHaffie after three months and the court ordered the man to pay $258 in child support once per month starting in July. .
* Immaculate Conception Catholic Church was the first Catholic parish in Springfield. The parish was founded in 1868 and now has more than 1,400 families who consider the church their spiritual home.
William Browning, a lifelong Missouri resident, writes about local and state issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Born in St. Louis, Browning earned his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Missouri. He currently resides in Branson.
