GALION — Southview Baptist Church, 6904 Crawford-Morrow County Line Road, was hit by vandals late Wednesday or early Thursday morning.

Someone drove through the church parking lot and whatever was being driven caught the wires running from a utility pole to the church and pulled them down.

The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office received a report of the downed lines from a neighbor at 8:45 a.m. Thursday.

Church trustee Dave Smith said Thursday afternoon the church was without electricity, and with below freezing temperatures expected Thursday night and Friday morning, he was getting ready to empty water heaters and drain pipes to prevent any from freezing and bursting.

Smith didn’t know how much it would cost to repair the damage to the electric wire and the hook-up atop the church. Carter Electric arrived Thursday afternoon to try and do some repairs, but the electric cannot be re-connected until the repairs are finished.

Besides the damage to the church power hook-up, there was damage to the lawn at the church, which now includes four pretty-deep and pretty-long tire ruts.

If anyone has information on the incident, they are asked to call the sheriff’s office at 419-562-7906.