Homeless Man Burglarized 4 Churches in 2 Weeks: Police

A homeless man burglarized four Suffolk County churches over the past two weeks, Suffolk Police said.

According to police, Sixth Precinct officers responded to a call of two men trespassing in a church building at the Calvary Baptist Church located at 2918 Horseblock Road in Medford around 10 a.m. Friday.

When officers arrived, the men had fled into nearby woods, police said. Sixth Precinct Patrol officers located the two men, William Stepnowski and Louis Parisi, who are both homeless, at the intersection of Devon Avenue and Knickerbocker Road in Medford.

Stepnowski, 38, was arrested and charged with third degree criminal trespass, possession of burglar’s tools and four counts of third degree burglary for burglarizing the following churches, police said:

· Calvary Baptist Church, 2918 Horseblock Road, Medford, on Sept. 9

· St. Michael’s Archangel RC Church, 900 County Road 16, Farmingville on Sept. 1

· Helping Hands Outreach Ministries, 950-5 Old Medford Avenue, Medford on Aug. 29

· Medford Assembly of God, 2080 Route 112, Medford

Parisi, 25, was arrested with third degree criminal trespass for trespassing at the Calvary Baptist Church on Friday.

Stepnowski and Parisi were held overnight at the Sixth Precinct and are scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Saturday.

SCPD photos: William Stepnowski (left) and Louis Parisi