Thief breaks into church

DESLOGE — A thief broke in to the  Desloge United Methodist Church some time between 8 p.m. on Feb. 11 and 2 p.m. on Feb. 12, according to police. Several items were taken, including family heirlooms belonging to the pastor of the church.

“Someone broke into the church through an exterior door,” said Desloge Police Chief James Bullock. “Evidently, whoever did this attempted to break in through other entry points. There were other exterior areas of the church that were damaged.”

Bullock said once the person got inside the church they forced their way into interior offices.

“The offices were ransacked,” Bullock said. “Whoever did this rifled through everything and made a mess.”

Items that were taken included an undetermined amount of money, some personal items and computer equipment.

Bullock said the pastor of the church, Brian Schaefer, discovered the church had been broken into at approximately 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Schaefer said his office and a secretary’s office were the two main areas of the break-in.

“A ring and a watch my grandfather was wearing when he died that were given to me, were taken,” Schaefer said. “My computer and monitor were taken. Autographed baseballs by Tony LaRussa and Stan Musial were also stolen. Even a couple of baseballs signed by kids I had been a youth pastor to were taken. A video camera, some checks and money were taken. A World Series plaque and a decorative dagger my grandfather had gotten overseas while he served in World War II were also stolen.”

Schaefer said the thief or thieves pulled drawers open and dumped the contents out on the floor.

“They made a mess,” Schaefer said.

Bullock said at this point his department does not have a suspect, but it does have some information it is following up on. If anyone has any information regarding the break-in, call the Desloge Police Department at 573-431-1463.

Chris Cline is a reporter for the Daily Journal. Contact him at 573-431-2010, ext. 114 or at ccline@dailyjournalonline.com.