Over the past two weeks the Sheriff’s Office received a total of 7 burglary reports from area churches throughout Franklin County. The suspects seemed to be targeting the daily offerings and musical equipment at each of the churches and forcing their way in through windows and doors. With the holidays approaching, the Sheriff’s Office is encouraging the neighborhood watch groups and citizens of Franklin County to report anything suspicious.
On November 21, 2017, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office received a report from Hilltop Advent Christian Church in Pacific, MO, a church van had been stolen. The van is described as a 1999 Ford E-350, 15 passenger van, green in color.
On November 25, 2017, The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a burglary at St. Clair Christian Church in St. Clair. The office was ransacked and multiple items were stolen. The items include a laptop, video camera, electric guitar, 2 acoustic guitars, dvd player, and a bass guitar.
On November 26, 2017, The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office received a call from Canaan Land Ministries near St. Clair, in reference to their shed behind the church being broken into.
On November 26, 2017, The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office received a call for a burglary at the Franklin County Baptist Association near Union. The pastor of the church reported multiple pieces of electronic equipment to include projectors, speakers, microphones, portable hard drives, flash drives, keys, money, pop up tent, dvd player, antennas, flat screen, mail scales.
On December 1, 2017, The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office received a call for a burglary at the Bethel Baptist Church near St. Clair. The pastor of the church arrived and found the office ransacked and money and checks had been stolen.
On December 3, 2017, The Franklin County Sheriff Office received a call for a burglary at the First Baptist Church of Gray Summit. Church members arrived for service and discovered entry was made through a damaged window in a bathroom. The suspects ransacked the sanctuary of the church and stole several pieces of electronics and musical equipment used for services.
On December 4, 2017, The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office received a call for a burglary at Virginia Mines Baptist Church near Lonedell Mo. Church members arrived and discovered entry made through a window into a meeting room. Several pieces musical instruments were stolen and the church was also left ransacked.
The Sheriff’s Office would like to provide a list of ideas for the churches to follow to help keep their items safe.
Steve Pelton
Franklin County Sheriff
On November 21, 2017, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office received a report from Hilltop Advent Christian Church in Pacific, MO, a church van had been stolen. The van is described as a 1999 Ford E-350, 15 passenger van, green in color.
On November 25, 2017, The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a burglary at St. Clair Christian Church in St. Clair. The office was ransacked and multiple items were stolen. The items include a laptop, video camera, electric guitar, 2 acoustic guitars, dvd player, and a bass guitar.
On November 26, 2017, The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office received a call from Canaan Land Ministries near St. Clair, in reference to their shed behind the church being broken into.
On November 26, 2017, The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office received a call for a burglary at the Franklin County Baptist Association near Union. The pastor of the church reported multiple pieces of electronic equipment to include projectors, speakers, microphones, portable hard drives, flash drives, keys, money, pop up tent, dvd player, antennas, flat screen, mail scales.
On December 1, 2017, The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office received a call for a burglary at the Bethel Baptist Church near St. Clair. The pastor of the church arrived and found the office ransacked and money and checks had been stolen.
On December 3, 2017, The Franklin County Sheriff Office received a call for a burglary at the First Baptist Church of Gray Summit. Church members arrived for service and discovered entry was made through a damaged window in a bathroom. The suspects ransacked the sanctuary of the church and stole several pieces of electronics and musical equipment used for services.
On December 4, 2017, The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office received a call for a burglary at Virginia Mines Baptist Church near Lonedell Mo. Church members arrived and discovered entry made through a window into a meeting room. Several pieces musical instruments were stolen and the church was also left ransacked.
The Sheriff’s Office would like to provide a list of ideas for the churches to follow to help keep their items safe.
- Have the parishioners in the area check on their church frequently and report any suspicious activity or vehicles.
- Remove all money and valuables that you can when they are not in use. Items that cannot be easily removed or stored, obtain the serial numbers and take pictures of the items to help identify them if they were to be stolen.
- If possible, place a security camera to help identify anyone on the property after hours.
Steve Pelton
Franklin County Sheriff
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