Man accused of Wichita church vandalism arraigned on criminal charges

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Sedgwick County District Court records show that the case against a man accused of burglary and vandalism that left extensive damage at a Wichita Catholic Church in March could be headed for a trial following an arraignment hearing on Wednesday.

The Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office said that 23-year-old Michael Gonzalez was arraigned on two felony charges: burglary and criminal desecration and two misdemeanor charges: theft and criminal damage to property.

The DA’s office said Gonzalez’s next scheduled court appearance is a pretrial conference set for July 25. Sedgwick County Jail records show that Gonzalez remains in custody, held on a bond amount totaling a little more than $500,000.

According to the Kansas Department of Corrections, Gonzalez has previous convictions in Saline County for criminal threat, criminal damage to property and burglary.

The burglary that involved vandalism and the burning of an American flag happened on the morning of March 15 at the St. Patrick Catholic Church in the 2000 block of N. Arkansas. When officers arrived, they found extensive damage, including hate speech spray-painted on the church and a burned American flag. Statues, candles and glass were also damaged.

WPD investigated the incident along with the Wichita Fire Department, the FBI and the ATF.