Burglar steals cash, checks from Scott City church

Southeast Missourian

SCOTT CITY -- A celebration turned sour at a Scott City church when a burglar broke in after Sunday night's service and stole more than $2,700 in cash and checks.

Scott City police arrested David Bowen, 18, of Scott City on Tuesday. Bowen was charged with a class C felony of burglary. All of the checks written to the church and $100 of the missing cash were recovered, said the Rev. Ken Strong, pastor of Father's Arms Fellowship, 1400 Main St. An undisclosed amount of cash is still missing.

Lt. Roy Butler of the Scott City Police Department said evidence at the scene and some information given to police led them to question Bowen.

Strong said that Bowen had at one time regularly attended services at Father's Arms Fellowship. Some of his family members still do.

Members of the church had been celebrating its 10th anniversary Sunday, Strong said. Visitors from Missouri and other states had come, and 28 pastors were there to lead the celebration.

Around 11:30 p.m., Strong said he and some other church members had tallied the day's offerings and proceeds. They had put them in a locked box in the office until the money could be deposited in the bank. The next morning, a church member discovered that the church door had been kicked in and the locked box was pried open. Money had also been taken from other areas of the church, which led Strong to suspect that the burglar was someone familiar with the church.

"He had gone into some very secret places where we hide petty cash," Strong said.

Strong hesitated when asked why Bowen said he burglarized a church he had ties to.

"I don't want to cause the child any pain," Strong said. "I love him with all my heart. I think he needs some help. Hopefully this will initiate that."

All the recovered checks are being held as evidence. Strong said that he notified people who wrote checks and they have been replacing the stolen checks with new ones. Strong said he was touched by a gesture from the local banks the checks were drawn on. Those banks waived their fee to stop payment on the original checks.

Once word got out, other churches sent money to help out.

"A minister from Poplar Bluff brought me a check for $100 toward our missing cash," Strong said. "It's such a neat, community caring, pulling together kind of thing."

According to Scott City police, Bowen posted $5,000 bond Thursday morning and was released from jail.