The Coweta County Sheriff’s Office is looking for several suspects in a series of thefts and burglaries targeting local churches.
Dating to May, the crimes range in severity from criminal trespass to burglary. The incidents all appear to be unrelated, Investigator Cory Mauldin told AJC.com.
He added that the string of crimes is likely due to the fact that many churches are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Closures have led many churches to set up outdoor donation boxes.
One of the first incidents involved a man driving a BMW who stole an unknown amount of cash out of a donation box. In security footage from Faith Bible Church in Sharpsburg, a man driving a black BMW M5 can be seen stealing from the church’s lock box in the parking lot. The base price of a new BMW M5 is more than $100,000.
In early June, a man entered the office space at Northside Baptist Church in Newnan and rifled through desks. He took a tablet device and left on foot.
Credit: Coweta County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Coweta County Sheriff's Office
Later that month, a man driving a black GMC Yukon XL burglarized two churches, stealing several musical instruments. At Go Church and Southside Church, both in Newnan, he threw a brick through a glass door at each location to get inside. He stole electric keyboards, a drum set and guitars.
Credit: Coweta County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Coweta County Sheriff's Office
In the latest incident Monday, a man and woman driving a black Hyundai Azera targeted Go Church again, attempting to pry open a lock box meant for donations. The pair were caught on video by the church’s security camera.
Anyone with information on any of these crimes is asked to contact Mauldin at 678-423-6698 or at cmauldin@coweta.ga.us.
— Please return to AJC.com for updates.
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Credit: AJC
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