Pennsylvania Catholic church robbed 4 times in 1 week

A Catholic church in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania, was robbed four times in a one-week period, with one burglar eventually being apprehended by the police.

Robbers repeatedly broke into St. Augustine’s – Saint Padre Pio Parish, stealing $1,200 in cash from votive candle boxes and tools worth thousands of dollars, according to CBS News.

The parish’s burglar alarm went off in the middle of the night Aug. 29. The pastor looked at the surveillance cameras’ feeds and saw a man in the church holding a crowbar. The police were called, and the pastor used the surveillance video to help officers locate what part of the church the suspect was in at the time.  

Around 3 a.m., Virginia Marshall, who lives near the church, woke up to the sounds of police yelling.

“There were quite a few of them out there,” Marshall said, according to CBS News.

Eventually, the police were able to apprehend the suspect with the help of a K-9 unit. Timothy Lau, a 47-year-old man, was located in a locked room in the upper level of the church.

Lau has been arrested on charges of burglary, criminal trespass, and theft, according to CBS News.

Police believe that Lau was not the only person involved in the four incidents.

The criminals appear to have broken in through the basement door during each of the four break-ins.

“I can't imagine a worse place to steal from than a church,” Catherine Wacha, who lives nearby, told CBS News.“You figure the money that they're taking from the church, that's money that's typically used to support people in the community that are in need, so it just doesn't make any sense.”

Despite multiple break-ins, the church appears to have been left undamaged. At this time, police believe the robberies were not motivated by any animus against Catholicism.

Lau remains in Allegheny County Jail on $2,000 bail. According to CBS News’ review of court documents, Lau has a long criminal history, including multiple theft convictions.