Police Arrest Man In String Of Church Robberies
BIRMINGHAM (WWJ) - Police say they have caught a man suspected of robbing several churches in the metro Detroit area.
The man, whose name was not released, was arrested by police in Birmingham in connection with a theft that occurred Monday at the Monastery of the Blessed Sacrament on Middlebelt Road, just north of 13 Mile in Farmington Hills.
According to police, the man walked into the church around 11:55 a.m., said a prayer in the chapel and then removed a donation box from the front counter before fleeing the scene. The incident was captured by surveillance cameras.
Investigators on the case realized their suspect looked strikingly similar to a man police were trying to identify in several other crimes at churches in neighboring communities. In those cases, police say the suspect was witnessed kneeling down to pray before bolting with the collection box.
Police have not said how much money the man collected in the thefts. The case remains under investigation.
It wasn't immediately clear what kind of charges the man might be facing. An arraignment date was not provided.