Man arrested for breaking into LDS temple in Utah, claiming he was just cold, police say

PROVO, Utah (KSL.com) — A man was arrested Tuesday after police say he told them he broke into a Latter-day Saint temple because he was cold.

On Monday, police were called to the Provo City Center Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 50 S. University Parkway. Employees discovered that a window had been broken sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning.

Employees were able to view the break-in on recorded surveillance video which was then given to police. In the video, a man broke into the building by using a metal tray to break a stained glass window and then unlocking the door, according to a police booking affidavit. “No items were taken in the incident. The value of the window was estimated at approximately $4,000.”

Police identified the intruder as a 33-year-old man currently under the supervision of Adult Probation and Parole.

When officers located the man, he initially denied entering the temple until he was shown a picture from the video footage, the affidavit states.

“(He) then advised that he did go to the temple and entered the property because he was cold and he did not want to be on the street,” the arrest report says. “(He) stated that he walked around, grabbed a water and left the building without taking other items.”

The man was booked into the Utah County Jail for investigation of burglary.