Early Sunday morning, August 23, vandals defaced the construction site of the Fort Collins Colorado Temple, damaging part of the building's exterior and construction machinery.
The vandals drove one piece of machinery into a structure and spray painted some construction equipment. The cost of the damage is still unknown, but the Fort Collins police are currently looking for suspects connected to the vandalism.
This type of hostility is not new to the Fort Collins area. Three other churches were burglarized in late July and early August and another church was vandalized twice.
TheChurch released a statement about the vandalism on Tuesday, August 25, "We are saddened by the vandalism at the construction site of the Fort Collins Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and at other places of worship in the area," said Eric Hawkins, a spokesman for the LDS Church. "Both the construction company and the church are working closely with local authorities as they pursue their investigation. Questions regarding the nature of the vandalism should be directed to local law enforcement."
Ground was broken for the Fort Collins Colorado Temple on August 24, 2013, and the site was dedicated by Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Presidency of the Seventy. This will be the second temple in Colorada, the Denver Colorado Temple having been dedicated in 1986. The temple is expected to be completed in mid-2016.