EUSTIS, Florida—A man is facing drug and burglary charges after a witness saw him break into a local church and run from police last week.
A nearby business owner spotted Chabazz Rionte Belle, 20, throw a bag onto the roof and enter Gethsemane Baptist Church, 505 S. Bay Street, around 8 a.m. Wednesday and he called Eustis Police Department, according to an arrest affidavit.
EPD responded and attempted to get in the building but found all the doors were locked. A church official responded to the scene with a key and officers announced themselves, causing Belle to flee the building. After a short foot pursuit, Belle was taken into custody.
When officers entered the sanctuary, they “smelled the strong odor of burnt marijuana” and found three baggies of marijuana, a lighter and a pack of wild berry cigars on a pew, the affidavit states. The church’s pastor told EPD no one should be inside, and he did not recognize Belle as a member of the church.
Belle told police he had been crawling through an unsecured window in the church for about a week to smoke marijuana, because it was a “quiet place.” According to the affidavit, Belle’s listed address is a group home, just a few blocks away from the church.
Belle was charged with burglary to a structure, possession of marijuana less than 20 grams, possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting without violence. He is being held in the Lake County Jail on $5,500 bond.
