Suspects in church attack were quiet in Hartselle library

By Deangelo McDaniel
DAILY Staff Writer
dmcdaniel@decaturdaily.com 340-2469

HARTSELLE The people Decatur police charged with criminal mischief after they disrupted a church service have been reading religious books at Hartselle Public Library, the librarian said.

"They started coming in about a month or two ago," Librarian Emily Love said.

Officers arrested Adam Joseph Turgeon, 27, his common-law wife Lisa Marie Wagner, 26, and their roommates Val Eugene Loughman, 20, and his wife, Emily Beth Loughman, 21, after the outburst and destruction of an altar in Annunciation of the Lord Catholic Church in Decatur on Sunday.

The suspects lived together in an apartment at 1004 Mitwede St. in Hartselle.

Love said the four suspects, especially Turgeon, spent a lot of time on the computer.

"They always used the computer facing away from our front desks," she said.

At some point, one of the four changed a screensaver on a computer to an angel with a red background, Love said.

"Other than that, they were no major problems," she said. "They were quiet and went about their business."

Love said she refused to issue a library card to Turgeon, but gave one to Emily Loughman. She said Loughman checked out four "Christian-related books."

The books are popular Christian bestsellers and ministers wrote three. The late C.S. Lewis wrote the other book, "The Joyful Christian."

$750 bond

Authorities have released the Loughmans on $750 bond each. Turgeon and Wagner remain in jail under the same bond amount.

Turgeon said Monday that destroying the church's altar was a dream realized and that his decision to confront the congregation during Mass was heaven-sent.

But he also said that knocking over the marble altar shortly after communion was poor judgment.

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