JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday it is investigating a string of car break-ins and thefts in church parking lots in the southern part of the county.
Between May 1 and Aug. 29, there were 16 break-ins and thefts at 12 churches that all shared similar characteristics.
The sheriff's office shared a map of the churches where the break-ins happened, while adding that investigators have not confirmed they are all related.
At Living Savior Lutheran Church, when their parking lot was full of Sunday worshippers on Aug. 20, thieves moved in.
"So I'm not sure if they did their homework or at least passed by and saw that, but 10:56 and we're usually an hour service, so that's cutting it close," Pastor Daniel Bondow said.
Bondow, ushers and cameras help to monitor the lot. But it didn't slow the suspects down.
“Our ushers will check, we have windows right by our entrance and they’ll just kind of scan the parking lot once in a while. We do have two security cameras with two different angles on the parking lot which gave us footage on what we could see. But with tinted window and blocked line of sight, there really wasn’t much you could actually observe,” Bondow said. "They did a nice job with their strategy if you're going to give them a pat them on the back. But they pulled into the lot and found kind of a discrete way to hide their vehicle behind other vehicles and then smashed a window. Probably just looking for things they could see that would be a quick grab."
Thieves broke into one car, and drove another off the lot.
"We had some kids tearing up with the families involved, in trying to make sense of what was going on," Bondow said. "And at the same time, that’s why we exist as a church. We talk about sin and pain and suffering all the time as a reason God did what he did in his son. So we proclaim the living savior in the midst of it."
Living Savior is one of a number of churches in Jefferson County that were targeted for break-ins and thefts since May. Sheriff's office public information officer Karlyn Tilley said they've tracked 16 so far.
"They're window shopping. They're going in and looking for things they can take," Tilley said. “So if you leave things out in your vehicle that people can see that are of value, you’re making yourself a target."
But Tilley said this problem stretches well beyond their borders.
“We’re talking about a lot of churches that have been hit, and not just in Jefferson County but in Douglas County and then in the city of Lakewood. So the churches are widespread. It could happen anywhere. But again, these are crimes of opportunity and it’s because they know people are in church at a certain time and they know they’re not monitoring their vehicles at that time," Tilley said.
But the way suspects are moving, Tilley said it's making it tricky to investigate.
“In many cases, it could be the same suspects but it could be different vehicles," Tilley said. "One of the things we've noticed is a lot of times, suspects are using either vehicles with stolen plates or stolen vehicles as they're pulling in and committing these crimes."
Still, investigators are hopeful they'll be able to catch these criminals quickly and bring them to justice.
For the congregation at Living Savior, Bondow said even with the sense of sanctuary disturbed by the thefts, churchgoers aren't letting this impact their faith.
"It doesn't really deter people," Bondow said. "I was really proud of our members as they talked about it. They kind of keep things in their place, keep their perspective, and that's an encouragement I think for other people to know, a window is a window, a belonging is a belonging. Possessions are what they are, but it's not the stuff of life."
Tilley said right now thieves are targeting church parking lots, but stressed this can happen anywhere.
"The important thing is to always make sure you lock your car and make sure you don’t leave anything visible inside your car," Tilley said.
The sheriff's office said all 16 break-ins happened between 9 a.m. and noon on Sundays during church service hours. The vehicles were left unlocked with keys in cupholders, or were locked and accessed through a window.
Investigators believe there are two to four suspects, but have not been able to develop descriptions.
A black Ford F-150 with an extended cab and chrome band across the tailgate has been linked to four incidents through surveillance video.
The sheriff's office added that Lakewood Police and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office have also seen a prolific number of similar crimes at churches in their jurisdictions.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office at 303-271-5612.
Anyone with information can also call Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867 or visit metrodenvercrimestoppers.com. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.
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