A man from Maryland found himself in handcuffs on Christmas Eve after allegedly stirring chaos in not one, but two churches.
Maryland man turns holy water into whiskey
The suspect, identified as Thomas Campbell Bolling Von Goetz, 56, reportedly spread some less-than Christmas-like cheer by chucking tangerines and dumping whiskey into one of the church’s supply of holy water.
Von Goetz was arrested on December 24 following incidents at Holy Angels Catholic Church in Avenue, Maryland, and St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Leonardtown.
According to the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, Von Goetz is accused of assaulting churchgoers with produce at one location before making his way to a second church, where he allegedly poured whiskey into holy water and threatened someone with the bottle.
The disturbance at Holy Angels Church began during a 5 p.m. service. Authorities said he “approached the altar and dropped an onion in the aisle,” causing a scene.
After being escorted outside by a parishioner, Von Goetz reportedly took things further by throwing tangerines at the individual.
Maryland man arrested after second church assault
Later that night, during a midnight Mass at St. Francis Xavier, Von Goetz allegedly disrupted the congregation by “pour[ing] whiskey into the holy water and threaten[ing] to harm parishioners.”
Once again, he was removed from the church. However, moments after being escorted outside, Von Goetz allegedly attempted to attack those present by wielding his whiskey bottle.
Church members managed to detain Von Goetz until officers arrived. He was reportedly taken to MedStar
St. Mary’s Hospital for evaluation, though authorities have not provided information about the outcome.
Two days later, on December 26, Von Goetz was officially taken into police custody and hit with a slew of charges including second-degree assault, disorderly conduct, desecration of religious property, religious crimes against a group, obstructing a religious service, threatening mass violence, and disturbing the peace.
He is currently being held at the St. Mary’s County Detention and Rehabilitation Center, awaiting his first court appearance.
Man shoots his brother in the groin on Christmas Eve
Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, a 22-year-old man was arrested on Christmas Eve for allegedly shooting his older brother in the groin.
Police in Butler Township confirmed that Logan Rapsinski is now facing an assortment of charges, including one count of attempted homicide and two counts of aggravated assault.
Local officers responded to an incident at around 10 p.m. on December 24. Law enforcement discovered a 27-year-old male lying outside with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to his groin.
The victim reportedly identified his younger brother, Rapsinski, as the shooter.
According to authorities, the chain of events began earlier that evening when Rapsinski left their shared residence in what was described as a highly agitated mood.
Concerned, family members reached out to the Butler County Crisis Service for help, while the victim began searching the neighborhood for his brother.
Eventually, the older sibling located Rapsinski sitting in his vehicle parked on a nearby street.
When he approached the car, Rapsinski reportedly pulled out a handgun, loaded it, and fired a single shot, hitting his brother in the groin. The victim immediately collapsed, and Rapsinski took off on foot.
Rapsinski didn’t remain hidden for long, though. He allegedly called 911 regarding the incident, leading officers directly to his location.
During the arrest, authorities found a .380 semiautomatic Smith & Wesson handgun lying nearby.
Claiming self-defense, Rapsinski told police that his brother had approached him unarmed and uttered threats to “beat his (expletive).”
He said his brother even asked, “Are you going to shoot me?” moments before the shooting. This was reportedly followed by a single shot fired from approximately 14 feet away.
The victim was taken to Allegheny General Hospital, where medical personnel listed him in stable condition as of Thursday.
Now in custody, Rapsinski awaits his preliminary hearing, which is scheduled for January 2.
