FLORIDA COMPUTERS STOLEN

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/sfl-bn-0310church,0,5566335.story

Burglar hid in Deerfield church before robbing it, BSO suspects

By Joel Marino |SunSentinel.com

5:32 PM EDT, March 10, 2009

DEERFIELD BEACH - A burglar who stole from a Deerfield Beach church may have snuck into the temple during a Sunday night service then hid away until the last worshiper left, authorities say.

The thief took musical instruments, a video camera and two computers, including a desktop with the personal information of all the Cathedral Church of God's 400 members.

"We feel very violated that someone would come into the house of God and take items we use to worship the Lord," said Bishop Eddie Solomon, the church's leader. "We're all pretty upset about it."

The burglary happened sometime between the church's late Sunday service and a Monday prayer meeting at 6 a.m., the Broward Sheriff's Office said.

Investigators could not determine how the burglar entered the church, but they suspect that person simply walked in during the late service and waited for everyone to leave.

"Once your [sic] inside the church there are several push doors that could be used to exit the building undetected," according to a police report written at the scene.

A window in one of the offices was opened and missing a lock, but deputies wrote in their report that the lock had to be removed from the inside.

Church members reported missing two keyboards used in worship, along with the camera and the computers. One of the desktops stored the congregation's financial information, as well as addresses and social security numbers, Solomon said.

Authorities ask anyone with information about this burglary to call Crime Stoppers, anonymously, at 954-493-TIPS (8477).