Police are searching for the heartless crooks who stole hundreds of dollars in cash and gift cards from a small church near Bernville.
"It's just very discouraging to have somebody take those measures, especially from the church," said Dan Billings, pastor at Christ Little Tulpehocken Church in Jefferson Township.
Billings told 69 News that burglars broke into the small, centuries-old sanctuary during the daytime hours on Tuesday and made off with roughly $60 in cash and $300 in grocery store gift cards. The funds had been kept in an office desk, meant for those in-need.
"That kind of put a crimp in our budget for giving right now," he said.
According to police, the gift cards were used later that day at the Boyer's Markets in Jefferson Township and Womelsdorf. Video surveillance captured the purchases.
Billings told 69 News that he reviewed the video and recognized the two customers as men who previously sought help from the church.
"I guess the most hurtful thing was that it was somebody that we knew and that they had been here before, and instead of coming back and asking for additional help, they chose to take that route," he said. "We would have helped them again."
Police, however, are not yet identifying those two men. The investigation is ongoing.
"We’re not gonna make an arrest 'til we know for sure that it's these two people," said Trooper David Beohm, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Police Reading-based Troop L. "We have to know everything; did the people that used the gift cards, were they the ones that actually were in the church and took them?"
Meantime, Billings plans to increase security and likely won't keep cash and gift cards readily available for those in need.
"It's made us a little more aware that we need to be more careful about where we store things, and making sure they're a little bit more locked up than before," Billings said. "It's something we don't want to do, but I guess it's the times we live in."
Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call Crime Alert Berks County at 877-373-9913.
from 69News:Home http://ift.tt/1LmOvKD
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