NEWBERRY — A Newberry man has been taken into custody after he reportedly broke into two churches in the City of Newberry, according to Chief Roy McClurkin.
Jeffery Lamont Griffin, 41, of 2026 Shelly Street, Newberry, has been charged with multiple counts of burglary, second degree.
According to McClurkin, the burglaries took place between June 14 and June 21. Officers were first called to Faith Assembly of God, 798 Fair Street, the church had been forcibly entered, and it appeared several offices in the church had been gone through, with property missing. Roughly $1,000 worth of property had been taken.
Officers were then called to Good News Baptist, 928 Speers Street, where, like Faith Assembly, the church had been forcibly entered, offices gone through and property stolen. Here roughly $700 worth of property had been taken, part of which has been recovered.
“We are thinking he hit one church one day, and the other the next,” McClurkin said.
One of the churches has surveillance cameras, and from that video officers were able to identify Griffin, and obtain warrants on him. McClurkin said they placed him into NCIC (National Crime Information Center) and officers came into contact with him Tuesday night.
McClurkin further stated that Griffin resisted arrest, and after a brief struggle, was taken into custody. While in custody, investigators questioned him, and he confessed to both burglaries.
“Churches are supposed to be sacred, and places you feel you can go and be safe at all times, and not so much worry about people coming in and taking advantage or taking property. I find it appalling somebody would go into God’s house and take property,” McClurkin said. “The investigators did a good job of following up on this and locating him and getting him into custody in a short time span.”
McClurkin asks if any churches have been broken into recently, to please notify them at 321-2222.