A Johnston County man has been arrested for breaking into a Benson-area church. A concerned citizen called deputies around 10:30pm Saturday saying they saw a man wearing dark clothing and using a flashlight to look into the windows at Elevation United Methodist Church at 5101 Elevation Road.
Officers arrived on the scene to discovered a kitchen window had been opened and a side door to the church open but no one at the church. A short time later, officers did locate a person walking nearby that matched the same description.
Joshua Gerald Clifton, 30, of Church Road, Benson reportedly told officers he was traveling on I-40 and had ran out of gas. Clifton said his cell phone battery had died and he walked through the woods to reach the church saying he was trying to get help.
Clifton was charged with breaking and entering. No items were reported missing from the church.
