Thou shalt not steal: Green Bay church burglarized day after first service

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - The person who broke into a Green Bay church is being sought by police. Investigators hope an image from security video will lead to an arrest.

The burglary was a shock to the pastor at Samaritan’s Heart Mission Church, which just opened on Green Bay’s near-west side. The church on the 500-block of S. Oakdale Ave. just held its first Sunday service last weekend.

The next day, on Monday night, someone broke the locks and ripped off a bunch of electronics from the church office.

”We know that churches are burglarized like any other business or even residences, but you do get the sense of security that I can’t say I thought it was impossible but at least I personally never thought about it happening,” Pastor Jerry Bader said.

Whoever did it likely didn’t know about all of the surveillance cameras in the building. The burglar didn’t hide his face, a picture of which is now circulating on social media.

The same building houses a number of non-profit groups. They tell us they’re also shaken up by the theft.

Bader expects some security changes as a result.

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