Same man may be responsible for 2 church break-ins in Travis County, officials say

Police looking for man who stole from churches

Police are looking for a man who they believe broke into two churches this week. One church is just west of Lago Vista and the other is in Jonestown.

AUSTIN, Texas - Police are looking for a man who they believe broke into two churches this week.

One church is just west of Lago Vista and the other is in Jonestown.

The backstory:

Trinity Anglican Church in Jonestown was the first to be hit. Security camera video showed a man entering through a side door and then going directly to a supply room where he kicked in a door.

"They've been here, or somebody told them the layout," said Dorothy Moldovan.

Moldovan manages finances for Trinity and has been calculating the loss from the Monday morning break-in. The burglar walked out with a safe. The money inside the safe was collected during the Sunday service.

"Well, that money was going to go into the operating fund for the church. You know, I mean, that's what we operate on, is whatever donations we get," said Moldovan.

Jonestown police are investigating the break-in. Officer Sean Marrow was back at Trinity on Thursday to look at more security cameras. A big clue is a small red SUV that the burglar drove off in.

"We've got good descriptors of the suspect. We've got a good timeframe. We've forgotten a good descriptor of the vehicle, um, mannerism and things like that. So I think we've gotten pretty good case building so far," said Officer Marrow. 

VIDEO: Jonestown church break-in

On Sept. 15, a suspect broke into Trinity Anglican Church in Jonestown and stole a safe containing offerings from the previous day?s service. (Credit: Jonestown Police Department)

On Tuesday morning, there was another break in. It happened at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church, which is located just a few miles down FM 1431 west of Lago Vista. 

Security camera video showed the man who was inside the Lutheran church who looked similar to the Trinity Church burglar. The vehicle that was used also looks the same. 

A window was used to gain entry into the Lutheran church, according to church Elder Mike Royer.

"The alarm went off, and Travis County responded in about 15 minutes. Obviously, these people knew how long they had because they were here and gone by then," said Royer.

A door was damaged, but according to Royer, as of Thursday afternoon a full assessment had not been completed. 

Investigators with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office are teaming up with police in Jonestown and Lago Vista in the effort to make an arrest. As that work progresses, it's recommended that congregations in the area do security and safety checks.  

"It would be ideal to go around periodically, maybe monthly or quarterly, and check all the doors and make sure they lock, make sure alarm systems are working, cameras are pointed in the right direction, things like that to help out if something like this does happen," said Officer Marrow.

Members of both churches said they have programs to help people in need.

"If this person had asked for help, yes, we would have reached out and helped or found him some resources, so we can only assume that this was just pure theft and that speaks for itself," said Royer.

The motivation for both break-ins may be greed, and not desperation.

"And that's what surprises me, because it was evil. It’s just evil, is all I can say," said Moldovan.

Dig deeper:

Church break-ins have made headlines at least seven times in Texas since January.

Below is a quick review of some notable, unrelated, cases:

• Stained-glass windows were broken to gain access to a church in Temple.
• Building materials for churches were stolen in Fort Worth and Houston.
• A church safe was taken in Selma, which is near San Antonio.
• Church property-theft cases were also reported in the Metroplex Oak Cliff neighborhood, Jasper County in east Texas, and in north Harris County.