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A Manchester man has been bound to the grand jury on charges of desecrating a venerated object for shooting out a church window.

The suspect, Jon Michael Clairmont, 37, is accused of shooting into Friendship Baptist Church in October of last year. Coffee County deputies were dispatched to the scene of the incident and were shown surveillance footage. While viewing the video, lawmen saw a Chevy pickup sitting in the parking lot with its engine running. The individual in the truck then rolled down the window and fired a shot toward the church.

Clairmont turned himself in the next morning at the Manchester police headquarters. The suspect claimed he did the shooting while waiting for law enforcement to meet him at the location, in essence, calling in his own crime. Investigators say his truck matches the one on the video.

Clairmont was hit with an extra charge because he is a convicted felon and is not allowed to possess a firearm.

In the case of desecration of a venerated object, he is charged under TCA 39-17-311 which refers to the Tennessee statute regarding the Desecration of a Venerated Object. Specifically, it makes it a crime to intentionally desecrate a place of worship or burial, or a state or national flag. Violating this statute is a Class A misdemeanor.  Since Clairmont is reportedly a convicted felon, his charge of carrying a weapon is increased to a Class E Felony. He is also charged with vandalism.