AUSTIN (KXAN) — Terrified and annoyed — that’s how church members at Misión Cristiana Internacional LIDS describe their thoughts whilst viewing a suspect take 1000’s of dollars really worth of gear from their sanctuary.
Their tale is one particular quite a few churchgoers are sharing. Information from Austin Law enforcement Office exhibit there have been pretty much as numerous church burglaries this year as there have been in all of 2020.
The good news is for members at Misión Cristiana Internacional LIDS, the two suspects linked to their burglary ended up caught.
Police stated it happened all-around 5 p.m. Wednesday. Protection online video captured by the church’s digital camera displays what John Quinones, the church’s communications coordinator, calls a brazen act inside the sanctuary. It is the next time their church was hit in just two weeks.
“He took a guitar, base, heaps of sound products, and sad to say it was proper ahead of our youth group meeting,” Quinones claimed.
His sister-in-legislation, Stephanie Chavarria, was instantly alerted by the alarm organization when the theft happened and viewed the safety video clip in genuine time Wednesday afternoon.
“This is a household of worship — who in their sane mentality does that?” Chavarria questioned. “He’s likely about with a flashlight, never turned the mild on, he’s just on the lookout around to see what he can acquire on the stage.”
She straight away informed her husband and called Quinones and the pastor. They all raced to the church. Their pastor was the very first a person there and said he encountered the suspect listed in court paperwork as Silvo-Alejandro Gonzalez.
Surveillance video reveals Gonzalez with thousands of pounds truly worth of audio machines in hand. All of the machines was purchased by their associates.
“[The pastor] told him in English ‘why are you stealing from my church?’ And the guy broke away, and he mentioned, ‘no keep right here, the cops are coming.’ And [the suspect] attained back and motioned like he had a gun and said, ‘you are likely to regret this if you attempt to preserve me in this article,’” Quinones spelled out.
Gonzalez escaped, and law enforcement explained he ran underneath an overpass down Highway 290. The pastor adopted him and flagged law enforcement. Police got a description from witnesses, and officers identified him near a indicator by the YMCA. Gonzalez noticed police and begun to run. Police told him to quit, and they explained he refused. Soon after a quick chase, law enforcement caught him.
According to court files, Gonzalez instructed police he was going for walks down the road and picked the products up. He admitted he had a gun and stashed it in a bag by the YMCA. Law enforcement identified the gun, along with a computer system that belonged to the church’s pastor.
Ahead of the arrest of Gonzalez, Quinones and his family members caught a 2nd suspect, later determined as Audriana Contero.
Church associates stated she had been the only car or truck parked at the church. A member attempted to block the exit to the parking large amount but said Contero drove on the curb to escape. Quinones and his mom-in-regulation caught up with Contero in their cars and boxed her auto in until eventually police arrived, and she was arrested.
Law enforcement reported Contero denied realizing Gonzalez and reported she just dropped him off in the vicinity of the church. Gonzalez later on identified her as his “wife.” She admitted to aiding Gonzalez by delivering him transportation to dedicate a burglary of the church.
Contero and Gonzalez are facing various rates which includes burglary, possession of a managed material and robbery by threat.
The church dropped hundreds of bucks in equipment. They are accepting donations on Venmo (@mcilidsusa) and CashApp ($MCILIDSUSA).