WOODVILLE, Texas — Investigators believe a string of recent church break-ins around Southeast Texas may be from the same suspect.
Surveillance cameras caught the man authorities believe committed three church burglaries Sunday night, October 30, 2022, in Woodville according to a Facebook post by the crime stoppers group.
On October 19, 2022, a man drove onto the property of Orange Seventh-Day Adventist Church and within 10 minutes of being there, stole cash.
After leaving Orange Seventh-Day Adventist Church, the same man is believed to have gone to the Old First-Orange Baptist Church and stole $300.
The theft was caught by a camera at a neighboring business, Roger’s Lumber Company.
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Multiple witnesses have come forward with Crime Stoppers tips, providing matching descriptions of the person caught on camera.
Deputies with the Orange County Sheriff's Office say the same thing happened in Polk County, too.
Briana Manning saw 12News air the story about the church break-ins in Woodville on Wednesday. She says it looked and sounded too familiar.
"It flashed on the screen and I was like "oh my goodness, that is the same car for sure,' So, yeah it was very easy to tell, it looks like the same vehicle and the exact same guy," Manning said.
Manning is on the board at Seventh Day Adventist Church located in Orange.
Detective Colton Havard says Orange County is working with other agencies to find this suspect and confirm they believe the same man is responsible for a rash of church thefts all over Southeast Texas.
"The detectives have had numerous tips come in that were beneficial, some others that have not played out and we do have a person of interest in this case," Havard said. "We have been working collectively with Polk County and Tyler County. They have had some church burglaries and believe the suspect is involved in all three of these cases."
Investigators say video from all of the churches present some key clues.
The suspected burglar is wearing similar clothes and black and white Adidas shoes in all the videos.
"I know in Orange County our deputies are increasing presence around churches and the neighborhoods and we would just like to remind everyone to keep your valuables locked up," Havard said.
Officials say the suspect was seen in a smaller, dark colored sedan.
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If you have information about a crime you could earn a cash reward of up to $1000 by providing an ANONYMOUS tip to Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas.
Call 833-TIPS (8477) or download the P3Tips App on your mobile device to submit your tip anonymously.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.