Pastor of Church Calls for Forgiveness in Parking Lot Break-in

A pastor at a local Hingham church is not preaching a message of vengeance and punishment against a woman accused of stealing from the church’s parking lot.

Rev. Richard Crowley, senior pastor at the Church of the Resurrection, recently told the Boston Herald that he is offering forgiveness and help to a Weymouth woman caught in an SUV that was not hers.

“Now that this has come to light, I hope she reaches out and gets the help she needs. It must be embarrassing for her,” Crowley told the Herald. “Sometimes when people do that type of thing ... there may be some personal dire circumstance with where they live and they’re in need of money.”

On Sunday, Dawn Marie Coughlin, 55, was taken into custody after an officer spotted her allegedly breaking into a vehicle while its owner was attending church. Police are investigating whether she was involved in similar break-ins that have taken place over the past couple of weeks.