Burkburnett Church Burglaries - KAUZ-TV: Newschannel 6 Now | Wichita Falls, TX

Police in Burkburnett are looking for burglars who targeted 3 churches last week, breaking into one of them twice and making off with an unknown amount of cash. 

Sergeant Lahoma Vaughn with the Burk Police Department said, "We believe that all these burglaries are all related...there was a common thread left at all 3 locations."

Vaughn said The Calvary Baptist Church, The River Assembly of God and The Jan Lee Baptist Church were all broken into sometime between 8 p.m. on Wednesday and 8 a.m. on Thursday. Calvary was also targeted last Sunday, the 11th. 

Pastor Billy Pate with The River showed our cameras the damage to several doors at the church. He said, "It's surprising, it's shocking that they would target churches specifically."

At Jan Lee Baptist, the thieves ran into some trouble when they couldn't pry open a new steel door. They eventually went in through another door, and crawled through the attic, eventually dropping through the ceiling. The burglars then broke into the church office, but were unable to find the petty cash. Janie Allen works for Jan Lee, she said, "I think people have to be desperate, really desperate, to break into a church."

The burglars bypassed TV's, recording equipment and computers, stealing nothing but an undisclosed amount of cash. Pastor Pate said, "They left a mess and they created same damage for us that was costly but as far as actually what was taken, it was minimal."

Pate said the church was already planning on adding a security system, now that project has moved higher up on the list of priorities.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call crime stoppers, at (940) 322-9888.

Jack Lamson, Newschannel 6
@JackLamson