Coweta churches targeted in recent string of thefts, burglaries

A man in a BMW M5 is suspected of stealing an unknown amount of cash from a donation box outside of Faith Bible Church in Sharpsburg.

A man in a BMW M5 is suspected of stealing an unknown amount of cash from a donation box outside of Faith Bible Church in Sharpsburg.

The Coweta County Sheriff’s Office is looking for several suspects in a series of thefts and burglaries targeting local churches.

Dating to May, the crimes range in severity from criminal trespass to burglary. The incidents all appear to be unrelated, Investigator Cory Mauldin told AJC.com.

He added that the string of crimes is likely due to the fact that many churches are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Closures have led many churches to set up outdoor donation boxes.

One of the first incidents involved a man driving a BMW who stole an unknown amount of cash out of a donation box. In security footage from Faith Bible Church in Sharpsburg, a man driving a black BMW M5 can be seen stealing from the church’s lock box in the parking lot. The base price of a new BMW M5 is more than $100,000.

A man is suspected of burglarizing Northside Baptist Church and stealing a tablet device in June.

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In early June, a man entered the office space at Northside Baptist Church in Newnan and rifled through desks. He took a tablet device and left on foot.

A man is suspected of burglarizing two churches in the Newnan area, Go Church and Southside Church, and stealing musical instruments.

Credit: Coweta County Sheriff's Office

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Credit: Coweta County Sheriff's Office

Later that month, a man driving a black GMC Yukon XL burglarized two churches, stealing several musical instruments. At Go Church and Southside Church, both in Newnan, he threw a brick through a glass door at each location to get inside. He stole electric keyboards, a drum set and guitars.

A man and a woman are suspected of criminal trespass at Go Church, where they attempted to open an outdoor lock box and were caught on the church's security camera.

Credit: Coweta County Sheriff's Office

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Credit: Coweta County Sheriff's Office

In the latest incident Monday, a man and woman driving a black Hyundai Azera targeted Go Church again, attempting to pry open a lock box meant for donations. The pair were caught on video by the church’s security camera.

Anyone with information on any of these crimes is asked to contact Mauldin at 678-423-6698 or at cmauldin@coweta.ga.us.

— Please return to AJC.com for updates.

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Credit: AJC