Deputies arrest man accused of breaking in to church, homes in Burke County

BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — A Burke County man was arrested Wednesday after being accused of breaking into homes and a church south of Morganton Tuesday morning.

Sheriff’s deputies spotted the suspect after he broke a window while carrying a box full of items away from the church.

Since Tuesday, Missionary Ridge Baptist Church has put up plywood over the window, which is where one of the Sunday school classes is held for kindergartners. Channel 9′s Dave Faherty could still see the damage Wednesday around the window.

Burke County deputies said they were on a routine patrol early Tuesday morning when they saw a suspicious pickup truck in the parking lot. While checking the truck, an alarm went off at the church and that’s when they said they spotted Christian Thomas Hill running from the church while dropping several items.

Deputies said he’s also a suspect in several home break-ins in the area where doors were kicked in and jewelry was stolen.

Pastor Darren Browning told Faherty the congregation will be praying for Hill.

“We don’t know why he was trying to get in,” Browning said. “We’d prefer he came here on a Sunday morning so he could be here for service, but certainly, we’ll be in prayer for him.”

Channel 9 also learned the church does have surveillance cameras and members are checking that video to see if that could help sheriff’s deputies with the investigation.

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