Father-Son Duo Allegedly Pilfered from Church Collection Plate: Police

An Orland Park father and son face felony theft charges after police say they stole from a collection plate at St. Francis of Assisi Church.

Terry Kozlowski, 60, who headed up the Alcoholics Anonymous program at the church, used that role to access and steal money from the plate inside the church at 15050 Wolf Road, Tribune Media reports.

Police were alerted to the theft in December by a church employee who also noticed a car believed to be tied to the crime. That car belongs to Christian Kozlowski, 28, Terry’s son and also a member of the AA group. But police didn’t have enough to go off of to make an arrest, according to the report.

The thefts picked back up in January, when the pastor told police the weekly collection was coming up $300 shorter than in usual months. Police switched out the collection basket for a locked box, and found the lock tampered with shortly afterward. Another switch back to a collection plate, this time containing marked bills. Both Kozlowskis were reportedly seen entering the prayer room, and the younger exited with a white plastic bag, which police later found in his car, filled with “toilet paper, packets of cider mix and Kool-Aid, tea bags, garbage bags and white candles,” according to the report.

Kozlowski admitted he had taken some cash, but only to make change for AA members.

Church officials will take inventory to check if other items—including bottles of wine—are missing.