Police Investigating ‘Hail Satan’ Carving on Church Porch

Police are investigating a report of vandalism after the words “Hail Satan” were carved into the front porch of a South Carolina Baptist church.

WSPA reported that officials from Welcome Baptist Church in Union found the phrase “Hail Satan” carved into the front porch of its Family Life Center on Friday, as well as damage to several other areas of the church.

Church officials said they also found two burned plastic columns, a damaged crawl space vent, and wrecked vinyl siding, Fox Carolina reported.

An incident report stated that the building sustained damage amounting to $570, according to the Union County Sheriff’s Office.

Union County deputies have not yet identified any suspects in the incident. It is unclear whether they are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

Other churches have experienced similar acts of vandalism. In 2014, an Arizona Baptist church found the words “Hail Satan” carved into the church gate, along with burned pages of a Bible near the church’s back entrance. Authorities investigated the incident as a hate crime.