Calif. Church Members Catch Thieves With a Baby Monitor
Tired of thieves stealing expensive copper wire from their heating unit, which has left them without heat, members of a California church decided to take it upon themselves and catch the bad guys – and they did it with the help of a baby monitor.
After two nights of copper wire theft, members of the Carmichael Bible Church in Carmichael, Ca. set up a makeshift surveillance system by placing a baby nursery camera atop the church and hooking it up to a TV/VCR monitor and taking turns watching the screen, reported CBS-13.
At 4:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 2, about 6 hours into the overnight stakeout, the suspects arrived in a truck, ready to take the rest of the copper wire. But as soon as he saw them, Pastor Jeff Livingston sprung into action.
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“It was like an adrenaline rush,” Livingston said, “I knocked on my buddy's knees and yelled to the guys in the other room, 'Hey Guys! They're there!'”
Livingston immediately called the police, who were able to apprehend the crooks and take them into custody.
The arrest of the suspects happened only hours after CBS broadcasted a story of the church theft, indicating that the suspects probably do not watch the local news.
The suspects were not very careful, either. They returned to the church three nights in a row and even left tools behind the previous two nights to continue their copper theft.
Although the suspects have been caught, the damage has been done; the total amount in damages to the church's HVAC system will run several thousands of dollars to repair.
Nonetheless, Livingston is satisfied with the results.
“I believe that justice is served to the wicked,” he said. “Sometimes we see that and sometimes we don’t. This time we got to be a part of it happening, so it feels good.”
