Chris Hayes and Megan Mueller
25 minutes ago
ST. LOUIS – Residents have been destroying the historic Mount Olive Lutheran Church in the Shaw neighborhood since it caught fire last July.
Neighbor Daniel Romano said he saw the thief at the highest point.
“One day I saw people carrying bells around. I approached them and they were acting as if they had the authority to do it, but I quickly realized that this was not the case. I understand,” he said. “Then the stained glass windows started disappearing.”
The thieves were quick and clever, but Romano and other neighbors held out hope that they could thwart them.
“The police would say we can't do it alone. I mean, we couldn't expect them to have security guards 24/7. So we know it has to be up to the neighbors.” he said.
Another concerned citizen spotted Window's ad on Facebook Marketplace and called police, who quickly responded, according to court records.
According to SLMPD's probable cause statement, detectives used facial recognition software on the suspect's Facebook profile photo. It reportedly matched the mugshot of a 24-year-old De Soto man, Taylor Jordan Baumer.
Baumer was found wearing an ankle monitor last November after being accused of assault. He reportedly violated electronic monitoring seven times in just over two weeks, according to court records.
The St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office filed a motion to revoke his bail, saying his ankle monitor had been disconnected. A judge agreed to issue a warrant for his arrest. But the case wasn't solved until the stolen windows showed up on his Facebook Marketplace.
Police set up a secret Facebook account in which an undercover agent asked to buy window glass at a BP gas station in South Grand. Then, on February 28, investigators announced that Baumer was arrested after riding on a trolley and removing a stained glass window.
“(The arrest) is great news. I hope this will deter people from looting and destroying old buildings because it's not good for the neighborhood,” Romano said.
Baumer is currently in custody awaiting a hearing scheduled for later this month on both the church theft and assault charges.
