Man broke into church to pray

Claiming his intent was to pray, Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies in Texas arrested a 19-year-old Magnolia man for allegedly committing criminal trespass of a church. Juan Ramon Maldonado told deputies he “came to pray” at Silver Springs Baptist Church.

It was at around 3pm on Tuesday that deputies arrived at the church, believing they were dealing with a burglary in progress. Instead, they conducted a search throughout the building with the assistance of a K-9 unit. The dog tracked Maldonado to the church’s sanctuary, where he was found sitting at a piano.



There wasn’t any property damage to the building or to its contents, and there had been no apparent attempt of theft. But the fact Maldonado forcefully pulled open the front door to gain access raised concern for Silver Springs Senior Pastor Scott Zbylot. A church member and her three children were inside the building with the doors locked when she heard someone trying to break open the front door.

The woman told deputies she was confronted by a man who simply stated he “came to pray.” The woman contacted other church staff to make certain no one should be inside the church, then contacted the Sheriff’s Office and then left the building with her three children. “I’m just thankful the situation turned out the way it did,” Zbylot said. “It was a very scary situation.” Maldonado is currently in the Montgomery County Jail on $5,000 bail.