Police probe Antrim church break-ins

BY ART BUKOWSKI
abukowski@record-eagle.com

April 17, 2009 10:15 pm

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BELLAIRE -- Police are investigating a string of break-ins at several Antrim County churches.

The Antrim County Sheriff's Department handled complaints from two churches in Central Lake, one in Ellsworth and two in the northern area of the county near East Jordan.

The first was reported Saturday, and the most recent was Wednesday. It appears the suspect or suspects wanted cash, Antrim County Undersheriff Dean Pratt said.

"We thought it was going to be an isolated case" at first, Pratt said.

Some money was taken in a few of the incidents, Pratt said, but it doesn't appear anything else was taken or damaged.

It was difficult to pin down the exact time of the burglaries because the churches keep erratic hours, Pratt said.

The nature and similarities of the crimes led investigators to believe it's likely the same person or people behind the break-ins, he said.

"This wasn't a one-time hit," Pratt said.

The Ellsworth Wesleyan Church was broken into sometime between Sunday evening and Monday morning, said Louise Alfred, a secretary there. The culprit broke glass in a church door, then unlocked it, Alfred said.

The church doesn't keep money on hand, Alfred said. Nothing was taken and very little was disturbed.

"They couldn't have been in here very long," she said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Antrim County Sheriff's Department at (231) 533-8627.