(Michigan City, IN) - A man went to a church in Michigan City with several concealed bombs and a gun to kill a parishioner but was intercepted by law enforcement before carrying out his plans.
Those are the allegations faced by Matthew Schutz, 41, of Michigan City. Schutz is charged with Level 1 felony attempted murder, Level 2 felony possession of a destructive device or explosive, Level 5 felony stalking and Class A misdemeanor resisting law enforcement. He was ordered held in the La Porte County Jail on $100,000 cash only bond.
On March 11, a woman told a 911 dispatcher that Schutz, who she identified as her husband, was going to Full Gospel Church at 2700 Ohio St. to kill a parishioner, according to the probable cause affidavit in La Porte Superior Court 1 where the case is filed. At the time, there was a still active protective order prohibiting Schutz from having contact with the woman, authorities said.
Upon arrival, police said officers located Schutz seated in back of the chapel and the male parishioner he targeted sitting in a pew closer to the front.
The parishioner had already been warned about Schutz threatening to kill him in a text message from the woman while the defendant was on his way to the church, authorities said.
During a pat down search, police said Schutz started running toward the church exit, but officers managed to grab and place handcuffs on him before he made it outside. Five cylinder-shaped objects with wicks were removed from his pockets, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Police said Schutz described one of the bombs as having enough force to potentially cause “serious bodily injury.”
According to authorities, the woman also showed police her cell phone containing messages allegedly from Schutz that he was also going to kill her and her family. Police said a search was soon conducted of the suspect’s home at 210 Brinkman St. where evidence of bomb making materials like flash powder was discovered.
Authorities said the parishioner told investigators he didn’t know why Schutz would want to kill him. Schutz said he made the threats out of anger triggered by the woman’s “personal decisions,” according to the probable cause affidavit.
LaPorte County Prosecutor Sean Fagan said an attempted murder charge can be filed if substantial steps are taken toward killing someone.
“We believe, essentially, that he took substantial steps. Thankfully, he did not complete the crime,” he said,
Schutz could face anywhere from a 20 to 40 year sentence on the attempted murder charge and another 10 to 30 years for possession of a destructive device or explosive.
