Fugitive 'Priest' Captured In Riverside County: RSO

MORENO VALLEY, CA — A "fugitive from justice" who allegedly posed as a priest so he could steal from churches was captured in Riverside County, the sheriff's department announced Thursday.

Malin Rostas, 45, of New York, who goes by the moniker "Father Martin," was found late Wednesday morning in Moreno Valley.

According to the sheriff's department, Rostas was spotted in a black sedan matching the description of the one used during burglaries.

Rostas was pulled over by deputies around 10:30 a.m. in the 10000 block of Pigeon Pass Road. He was arrested and booked into Riverside's Robert Presley Detention Center on an outstanding felony warrant out of Pennsylvania for burglary. He is being held without bail.

The sheriff's department said law enforcement agencies across the United States were on the lookout for Rostas because of the warrant and the "fraud and deception" he used to burglarize churches.

During the local investigation into Rostas, the sheriff's department said it discovered he had attempted to burglarize a Riverside County church. Details about the church were not disclosed.

Last year, Rostas was charged with one felony count each of burglary, criminal trespassing and theft tied to an alleged burglary in Hamiltonban Township, Pennsylvania, according to the Gettysburg Times. A warrant was issued for his arrest.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department said there may be more burglary victims. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Investigator McCracken at the Moreno Valley Sheriff’s Station: 951-486-6700.