Man arrested after breaking into Lakewood Church

SMITH COUNTY – A man is currently behind bars after allegedly breaking into the Lakewood Church, in Flint, on Thursday evening. According to our news partner KETK, deputies responded to an apparent burglary in progress at the church. Once they arrived, deputies could see the glass door entrance was shattered, leading them to believe the suspect had thrown a concrete lid into the glass. After being unable to locate the suspect inside the church, deputies were able to obtain footage of the break-in. Through the video, they identified the suspect as 48-year-old Timothy Myers Poole of Tyler.

Later that night, a deputy was conducting a traffic stop in north Tyler when Poole arrived at the scene and approached the deputy, allegedly acting aggressively toward him. According to officials, Poole was ordered several times to leave the scene but refused, which led to his arrest.

Following the arrest, Poole was taken to the Smith County Jail and charged with interference with public duties. On Friday, Poole was also charged with criminal mischief after a judge issued a warrant for his arrest for breaking into the church.

Poole is also a suspect in a vandalism case that took place earlier this week. Someone allegedly destroyed American flags that were displayed outside the Brookshire’s Conference Center for Veterans Day.