Police department quickly apprehends suspect in church burglary case

Shortly after requesting assistance from the public in identifying the person who burglarized a Lawrenceburg church Thursday, authorities reported that the suspect had been apprehended.

The burglary occurred at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, located at 220 Berger Street. Officers with the Lawrenceburg Police Department were dispatched to investigate around 8:30 a.m. when Father Joseph A. Mundakal reported that both the church and his personal residence had been burglarized. Officers were able to secure surveillance footage that captured a man prowling about.

The video showed the man entering an unlocked door into an enclosed porch at Mundakal’s residence. The man was smoking a cigarette, dropped it onto the floor and stepped on it, then walked around, looking at various items. He removed something, possibly a screwdriver, from a filing cabinet and placed it in his pocket. He checked the doorknob to the door leading inside the home, but it was locked and no entry was made.

The video shows that the burglar then entered the main portion of the church. Officers found that a cabinet located on the southwest corner had been ransacked and rosaries and papers were strewn about. A wireless microphone that was normally kept at the front of the church was found lying near the cabinet. Nothing appeared to be missing or damaged inside the church.

Video acquired from an exterior surveillance system revealed that the man had been traveling on a bicycle.

Detectives working the case report that they followed leads that allowed them to identify a possible suspect. They made contact with him at his 415 Third Street home on Friday and he agreed to speak with them. Detectives report that the suspect, identified as fifty year old Van Coy Moore, Jr., confessed to entering both the church and the home. He allegedly told them that he had stolen several knives along with the screwdriver.

Moore was arrested on charges that include burglary, aggravated burglary, and theft. He was transported to the Lawrence County Detention Center without incident and incarcerated under a bond of $31,000.

Moore has been scheduled an initial appearance in General Sessions Court on October 6, 2016.