PITTSBURGH (WPXI)— A Pittsburgh church was targeted by thieves several times in the last week. The Pastor at St. Augustine Church – St. Padre Pio Parish in Lawrenceville says it appears to be the same group each time. On Friday, August 22, the group got away with $1200 of donations made by parishioners lighting candles. There were two break-ins Sunday. Overnight, a man was arrested while trying to steal thousands of dollars’ worth of tools. According to the pastor, the group was getting through the basement door. Last night, the man later identified as Timothy Lau, used a crowbar to get in. The damage is apparent, and a new lock has since been installed. “I am stunned to hear that. This area feels very safe,” neighbor Virginia Marshall said. According to police, Lau tripped a burglar alarm around 3 o’clock Friday morning. “When I woke up, I heard the police out there,” Marshall said. “I just saw that they had surrounded the area. They had gone in. You could tell they were going in the church.” Lau was found hiding in an upstairs room. Police used a K-9 to track him down. “There’s no morality in this country anymore,” neighbor Regis Ricketts said. He was a police officer for more than 30 years. Both he and Marshall told Channel 11 they have compassion for people who feel like they have to rob a church. “I can’t condemn people. I don’t know why they would do it,” Ricketts said. “I grew up pretty impoverished, but I learned at a young age that, even if you get into a desperate situation, that the answer isn’t to take from others,” Marshall said. The pastor wanted to stress that nothing inside the church was damaged and this is not an act of anti-Catholicism. The church does have security cameras and they are working with Pittsburgh and Diocesan Police.
