Two Delhi Churches Burglarized- One Man Arrested

It may seem morally wrong, but for more than a year thieves have been breaking into two local churches taking off with electronics and several other interesting finds. Now police say theyve captured a thief, allowing those pastors and their members to breathe a sigh of relief. Not many people would think to steal from a church, but thats exactly whats been happening at two churches in Delhi. Until one pastor took matters into his own hands by stepping up security and helping police catch their man. Paul Lipe has been pastor of the Delhi Presbyterian Church more than 60 years. Thieves have been stealing from his church for the last year. Now Lipe locks up more carefully. "We cant understand people breaking the law anyway,” but Lipe says, “Robbing from a church is difficult for us to comprehend how somebody could do that." Lipe says thieves have stolen televisions, DVD and CD players, radios and even vacuums. Pastor Lipe took several security precautions here at the church about a month ago. One of those, installing security cameras, which he says sadly, came in handy way too quickly. “To have to do this, it just kind of blows your mind that a church would have to take the same precautions that a business does." The system paid off two weeks ago when another thief came and got caught on camera. Delhi police arrested 42-year old Lenoir Kie after the chief recognized him by the hat and shoes he wore in the video. Just two blocks from the Presbyterian Church is the Delhi Methodist Church. The pastor, Chris Thomas, says hes also had several burglaries in the past year, but the thief took off with more than just electronics." "Almost to the date, every six months someone finds a window or a door that was left open and they take all of our toilet paper and paper towels." Thomas says a thief also took the copper foot pedal from the churchs more than one hundred year old organ. "That was kind of the last straw, which the board decided after years and years wed put locks on the doors." Police are not sure if all the burglaries are connected. Lenoir Kie confessed to the theft at the Presbyterian Church and is being held in the Richland Parish Detention Center, charged with burglary of a religious institution. (Copyright 2008, NBC 10/Fox 14 News, Written by Casey Ferrand)