NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) -- A former convict is back behind bars after a police K9 tracked him down inside a South Nashville church following a burglary.
The church on Wilhagen Road, Centro Cristiano Para La Familia, was locked. However, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department, the suspect was able to gain access by pulling away metal siding and then busting through dry wall.
Per an affidavit, when officers arrived at the church, they peered through the windows and saw a man -- later identified as Greg Edgar Black -- scurrying up the stairwell.
Authorities used a loudspeaker to order the 54-year-old out of the church. When he refused, a K9 was sent in.
According to the arrest report, the dog found the man hiding in a closet. Black reportedly used a backpack to fight off the animal, but the K9 won the battle, so the burglary suspect was taken into custody.
When officers looked in the backpack, they found items belonging to the church, including a camera, a laptop, and some food. Meanwhile, a search of Black -- who listed his home as a Nashville homeless shelter -- turned up a powdery substance and a glass pipe.
News 2 spoke with Lyn Daubenberger, who owns Clinard's Driveshaft across the street from the church.
"Does it make you take pause today knowing that somebody was willing to break in there and now you just are across the street?" News 2's Andy Cordan asked.
"It does, yeah. You always worry about stuff like that. Of course, you've got alarm systems and stuff like that to cover your butt, but you just never know. It could just have well been me. It is what it is. It's a sad thing, and it's crazy that people do stuff like that, but it's a sign of the times. Times are tough for everybody," Daubenberger explained. "You don't have money, you're hungry, or you got drug issues or whatever, and they're just looking for anything they can get."
The long-time mechanic said a crime against a church is troubling
"I tell you, they're good people there. They keep to themselves...It's always been a safe neighborhood over here," Daubenberger said.
As of this writing, Black is being held in the Downtown Detention Center on a $28,000 bond for multiple felony and misdemeanor charges, including burglary, theft of property, and vandalism, according to the Davidson County Sheriff's Office.
Before he was booked into the jail, the suspect was reportedly treated at a local hospital for a dog bite he received during the arrest.
According to the Tennessee Department of Correction, Black finished his prison sentence in September for attempted aggravated burglary and theft of property. He was initially sentenced in 2016 and granted parole in 2021, but he allegedly absconded supervision just a few months later. He was then arrested in Davidson County in January, based on court records.