San Jose Church Burglarized For The Third Time This Year
SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) – Representatives at a South Bay church were in disbelief this week after burglars targeted their property for a third time in the past year.
At Almaden Valley United Methodist Church, cleaning up after a break-in has become the new, unfortunate norm. The first burglary happened in a storage shed on the backside of the church on Blossom Hill Road in February.
Burglars struck again in March and for a third time this past Monday.
"They stole everything they could carry out of the Boy Scouts side: cook stoves, tents, canopies. Whatever was available to steal, they stole," said Bill Messerly, a member of the Almaden Valley United Methodist Church Board of Trustees.
Security was strengthened and all of the gear was in the process of getting completely replaced, when it happened again. This time, thieves swiped all of the Boy Scouts' gear, including their padlocked trailer.
"It's a church complex. It's a church building and they are stealing from Scouts, which is pretty bad," Messerly told KPIX 5.
Pastor Rev. Mariellen Yoshino says her flock loves this part of San Jose and will once again begin the process of replacing the Boy Scouts' equipment and offering prayers this Sunday.
"We just pray that people will, um, not steal from us. We pray that people will be able to find what they need," said Yoshino.