Authorities in Northern California announced Thursday the arrest of a suspect in the killing of a beloved Catholic priest who was found dead in a church rectory. A statement released by Eureka police says 43-year-old Gary Lee Bullock, of Redway, was taken into custody earlier today by Humboldt County deputies in the killing of the Rev. Eric Freed. Bullock had been named in an arrest warrant. The statement says he had been in and out of police custody in the hours before Freed died. Gary Lee Bullock is led by law enforcement officers into a car in Eureka on Thursday . Terrible: Police say Bullock had been in and out of custody in the hours before Freed died and was questioned near the church as he held a wooden stake in the hours before the slaying but was not detained . Caught: Gary Lee Bullock (left) has been arrested in the killing of Father Eric Freed (right), who was found slain in the rectory of St Bernard Church in Humboldt County . Well-regarded: Father Freed was remembered by his friends and colleagues as a genuine and warm person who was easy to talk to . Rite of passage: This May 2012 photo provided by Lynn Enemark shows the Reve. Eric Freed administering First Communion in St. Bernard Catholic Church . Officials are still seeking a motive behind the clergyman’s killing, . Freed's body was found by staff Wednesday in the St. Bernard Church rectory after he failed to show up for morning Mass, leaving the parish in shock. Rev. Freed, 56, was the only pastor in St Bernard Church, and had been working in the parish for three years. Bullock has a criminal history that includes a conviction for cocaine possession last year, Redwood Times reported. According to a press release from the Eureka Police Department, Bullock was first spotted in the Garberville area of Humboldt County and arrested for public intoxication on New Year’s Eve. He was taken to jail, but was 'rejected' due to his erratic behavior. Crime scene: Police say Father Freed put up a fight inside the rectory of St Bernard Church but was struck dead by his attacker . A shocked Church member reacts to the news that Father Eric Freed has been killed . Outpouring of grief: Church members mourn the murder of Father Freed outside of St. Bernard Church in Eureka, California on January 1 . The 43-year-old man was then transferred to a hospital for evaluation, where he became more agitated and had to be physically restrained. He was eventually booked into jail just after 4.30pm Tuesday. He was released after midnight on New Year's Day. About two hours later, police officers responded to 615 H Street after getting a 911 call about a suspicious person, who turned out to be Bullock. The 43-year-old, however, was no longer intoxicated, and so he was referred to an emergency shelter for the night. Some time later, a security guard heard noises near St Bernard Church and came upon a person matching Bullock's description. After a brief conversation, the guard told the man to leave. Father Freed's body was discovered in the rectory at around 9am. Police say the cleric suffered 'significant blunt force trauma' following a violent struggle with his assailant. The murder weapon was recovered at the scene. An autopsy will be performed later to determine the victim’s exact cause of death. Eureka Mayor Frank Jager said Freed was a personal friend and a ‘tremendous person in this community.’ Days before his death, Rev. Freed sent his parishioners a message of thanks, wishing them happy holidays. ‘I cannot tell you how proud and honored I am to be your pastor,’ Freed wrote on the parish website. ‘Our parish is alive, joyful and full of faith, hope and charity that define us as Catholic Christians.’ Crime scene: The body of Rev. Freed was discovered by staff members of St Bernard's Catholic Church and his car, a 2010 Nissan Altima, has yet to be recovered . Loved: Pastor Freed had been working in Eureka for three years, and had previously taught religious studies at a nearby California State University . Motive: Detectives are still trying to determine what prompted the suspect to kill the beloved cleric . Before arriving in Eureka, Rev. Freed taught religious studies at Humboldt University in nearby Arcata for over a decade and spent 'many years' in Japan. He was also actively involved with the Catholic student . group Newman Center on campus. 'He was a really, genuinely warm individual," Professor Stephen Cunha, chairman of Humboldt University's religious studies department told CNN. ‘This was not some stuffy clergyman. He was very much someone that you could sit down and speak with. ‘He connected with everybody.’ Investigation: Eureka Police Chief Andy Mills say police still have no solid leads in the investigation into the killing of Rev. Freed .
Gary Lee Bullock, 43, was arrested a day after Rev. Eric Freed was found dead in his church rectory in Eureka, California .
Bullock had been arrested before the murder for public intoxication but was let go .
Police say Father Freed suffered blunt force trauma after violent struggle .
Authorities in Northern California announced Thursday the arrest of a suspect in the killing of a beloved Catholic priest who was found dead in a church rectory. A statement released by Eureka police says 43-year-old Gary Lee Bullock, of Redway, was taken into custody earlier today by Humboldt County deputies in the killing of the Rev. Eric Freed. Bullock had been named in an arrest warrant. The statement says he had been in and out of police custody in the hours before Freed died. Gary Lee Bullock is led by law enforcement officers into a car in Eureka on Thursday . Terrible: Police say Bullock had been in and out of custody in the hours before Freed died and was questioned near the church as he held a wooden stake in the hours before the slaying but was not detained . Caught: Gary Lee Bullock (left) has been arrested in the killing of Father Eric Freed (right), who was found slain in the rectory of St Bernard Church in Humboldt County . Well-regarded: Father Freed was remembered by his friends and colleagues as a genuine and warm person who was easy to talk to . Rite of passage: This May 2012 photo provided by Lynn Enemark shows the Reve. Eric Freed administering First Communion in St. Bernard Catholic Church . Officials are still seeking a motive behind the clergyman’s killing, . Freed's body was found by staff Wednesday in the St. Bernard Church rectory after he failed to show up for morning Mass, leaving the parish in shock. Rev. Freed, 56, was the only pastor in St Bernard Church, and had been working in the parish for three years. Bullock has a criminal history that includes a conviction for cocaine possession last year, Redwood Times reported. According to a press release from the Eureka Police Department, Bullock was first spotted in the Garberville area of Humboldt County and arrested for public intoxication on New Year’s Eve. He was taken to jail, but was 'rejected' due to his erratic behavior. Crime scene: Police say Father Freed put up a fight inside the rectory of St Bernard Church but was struck dead by his attacker . A shocked Church member reacts to the news that Father Eric Freed has been killed . Outpouring of grief: Church members mourn the murder of Father Freed outside of St. Bernard Church in Eureka, California on January 1 . The 43-year-old man was then transferred to a hospital for evaluation, where he became more agitated and had to be physically restrained. He was eventually booked into jail just after 4.30pm Tuesday. He was released after midnight on New Year's Day. About two hours later, police officers responded to 615 H Street after getting a 911 call about a suspicious person, who turned out to be Bullock. The 43-year-old, however, was no longer intoxicated, and so he was referred to an emergency shelter for the night. Some time later, a security guard heard noises near St Bernard Church and came upon a person matching Bullock's description. After a brief conversation, the guard told the man to leave. Father Freed's body was discovered in the rectory at around 9am. Police say the cleric suffered 'significant blunt force trauma' following a violent struggle with his assailant. The murder weapon was recovered at the scene. An autopsy will be performed later to determine the victim’s exact cause of death. Eureka Mayor Frank Jager said Freed was a personal friend and a ‘tremendous person in this community.’ Days before his death, Rev. Freed sent his parishioners a message of thanks, wishing them happy holidays. ‘I cannot tell you how proud and honored I am to be your pastor,’ Freed wrote on the parish website. ‘Our parish is alive, joyful and full of faith, hope and charity that define us as Catholic Christians.’ Crime scene: The body of Rev. Freed was discovered by staff members of St Bernard's Catholic Church and his car, a 2010 Nissan Altima, has yet to be recovered . Loved: Pastor Freed had been working in Eureka for three years, and had previously taught religious studies at a nearby California State University . Motive: Detectives are still trying to determine what prompted the suspect to kill the beloved cleric . Before arriving in Eureka, Rev. Freed taught religious studies at Humboldt University in nearby Arcata for over a decade and spent 'many years' in Japan. He was also actively involved with the Catholic student . group Newman Center on campus. 'He was a really, genuinely warm individual," Professor Stephen Cunha, chairman of Humboldt University's religious studies department told CNN. ‘This was not some stuffy clergyman. He was very much someone that you could sit down and speak with. ‘He connected with everybody.’ Investigation: Eureka Police Chief Andy Mills say police still have no solid leads in the investigation into the killing of Rev. Freed .
of a beloved Catholic priest who was found dead Eureka police says 43-year-old Gary Lee Bullock, Rev. Eric Freed. Bullock had been named in an County . Well-regarded: Father Freed was of Humboldt County and arrested for public Police say the cleric suffered 'significant blunt force trauma' following a violent struggle with