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Midland Police Looking for Suspect in String of Church Burglaries

Midland Police are trying to track down a thief connected to a string of church burglaries. As many as eight churches have been hit.
By Geena Martinez
NewsWest 9

MIDLAND - Midland Police are trying to track down a thief connected to a string of church burglaries.

As many as eight churches have been hit.

They could be alone or with other people, but one thing's for sure; whoever is making late night visits to Midland churches isn't there to pray.

"I think the thing that bothers me the most is that these are places of worship and it's very offensive what they're doing," Sgt. Ben Chavez with the Midland Police Department, said. "They're using bricks, rocks to break the windows out. On others, they're prying the windows open."

Chavez said the break-ins are spread out around town and have been happening overnight.

"The majority of burglars that usually hit churches, they're after musical instruments, amplifiers, something that they can peddle out there," Chavez said.

But these burglaries have been different, leading police to believe they're related.

"They're just focusing on the offices and rummaging through them to see what they're looking for," Chavez said.

Two flat screen TV's were stolen from one church that was targeted.

Investigators think the thieves are looking for cash, but the mess they leave behind is costing more than what's actually taken.

"They're kicking in locked doors, they're breaking windows, they're breaking filing cabinets," Chavez said.

The only suspect description available is a short Hispanic male wearing a t-shirt and jeans.

It's not much but police hope someone is caught.

"They're gonna be facing criminal charges for burglary and since it's a place of worship, it's gonna be a higher crime," Chavez said.

Until then, the public is being asked to keep a watchful eye.

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