Suspect Held For Alleged Church Theft

Four days before Christmas, a suspect in East Austin has really, really made the naughty list.

Police allege Melvin Williams, 46, broke into a neighborhood church Sunday at around 1 a.m. while in process of stealing several items.

But a passing officer who noticed a broken window at the Minesterio Internacional Restauracion church at 6400 FM 969 decided to investigate and caught the suspect red-handed, reports the Austin American-Statesman.

The officer found Williams holding several bags while inside a room. Two 10-inch knives, a plastic tray, several keychain flashlights and an assortment of batteries were found inside the bags.

Oh, and perhaps the most egregious piece of evidence pointing to his alleged theft: A CD of Spanish-language Christmas songs used by church officials in the predominantly Latino house of workshop.

Williams copped to attempting to steal only the CD. But the scene yielded tell-tale signs of a more ambitious heist, with a large decorative sword also taken from its display area.

The suspect said he had only entered the building to stay warm, but cops didn’t buy his story. He was booked into the Travis County Jail on a burglary charge with a $15,000 bail.