Man caught on camera stealing from church

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - On Monday, Pastor Tony Metcalf with The Gathering Church reported that a trailer had been stolen from his church’s parking lot.

“I don’t know why people think that churches are an easy target, but just a warning to people: We have cameras all over this building,” he said.

Those cameras showed a man stealing the trailer that Metcalf bought with his own money. He said the footage captured the vehicle’s license plate, and he’s confident that law enforcement will be able to find the person.

They’d be the latest in a string of people those cameras have caught.

“We’ve had catalytic converters cut off the buses, trailers stolen out of the parking lot,” the pastor said. “We had a break-in last year in October.”

The break-in cause a loss of over $11,000. He said that’s a big dent for what he described as a poor church.

In any case, Metcalf says he’s not necessarily mad, just disappointed.

“We’re all about forgiveness, this is a church of the redeemed,” he said. “A lot of our congregation has a past.”

He said they use the trailer to transport food, and if they don’t get it back, he’ll likely have to take a loss of a few thousand dollars.

He said they’d drop charges if the person responsible returns it.

“Bring the trailer back; all will be forgiven,” Metcalf said. “We’ll save you a seat on Sunday, and we’ll gladly have you.”

The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office’s tip line is (812) 421-6297.

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