Church needs help identifying suspects who stole donation money box by altar

In Denver thieves are stealing donation boxes from a local church.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church shared surveillance video with CBS News Colorado in hopes of helping police find the thief or thieves.

Pastor Benito Hernandez says they've increased security in the area and their camera alert system just two weeks ago, after noticing thieves have made this a frequent spot to steal money from.

But on Ash Wednesday, it was clear people stop by the altar where the donation boxes are displayed to pray and show their appreciation.

"People come and bring flowers, light a candle and sometimes bring money to ask for a favor or say thanks for the favor that they received," said Hernandez.

But for the past few weeks, thieves have violated this space and even made a couple churchgoers afraid to pray at their usual spot.

In the surveillance video, you can see the moments when a man used a hammer to break down the donation box.

This is not the first time this has happened, the first time was on Jan. 20, then it happened again on Jan. 25 with the latest incident happening on Feb. 20.

This marks the third time so far this year. The pastor says before the pandemic, it would happen once every five years, but now this has become consistent.

"It's not right," he said. "People are coming for devotion, love to the saints and it's not fair that people come and are stealing the money."

The pastor says the donation boxes collect up to $500 per week and the money is often used to share with those in need along with non-profits.

"I feel so sad and we don't know what to do," said Hernandez.

The church says right now they are asking people to give their offering or donations inside the church as they work to figure out a way to keep the thieves away.

Denver police have confirmed these incidents have happened and are working to find those thieves. It remains an open investigation, they said.

Church officials tell us they've increased security at night to have them patrolling the area that way people feel safe to come by and pray.