Atlanta police are searching for thieves who stole four air conditioning units from Ben Hill Christian Church.
The senior pastor, Arthur Poole, told police the units were at the church, located in the 4000 block of Sunset Drive, when he left about 1 p.m. Sunday. But by 9 a.m. Monday, “the units were missing and the metal cages that were covering them were cut off,” Atlanta police Officer Lisa Bender said.
“We had a cage around (them),” Poole told Channel 2, “... and they cut through (it) like butter.”
The units were stolen from the southwest Atlanta church’s family life center, which has study rooms for low-income children, Channel 2 reported.
Poole said someone shot the church’s windows on a different day.
“They're targeting churches,” Poole told Channel 2. “Not that you shouldn't steal from anybody, but why would you steal from people who are trying to invest in your community.”
The repairs are expected to cost $40,000, Channel 2 reported. Units at a nearby building were also targeted.
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