NORTHERN NECK, Va. — Multiple churches in neighboring counties on the Northern Neck have been burglarized over the last couple of weeks, officials said.
In Lancaster County, there have been at least five recent church break-ins— most occurring in the last week — including Sharon Baptist Church in Weems and White Stone Methodist Church in White Stone, according to the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office.
A little over $1,000 and an iPad were stolen from White Stone Methodist, the Sheriff's Office said.
On Saturday, deputies said they were able to arrest an individual they caught in the process of breaking into Sharon Baptist Church. That person is being held in Lancaster County Jail with no bond.
Kilmarnock Baptist Church and Kilmarnock Methodist Church, which are located right next to each other, as well as St. Andrews Presbyterian Church were also broken into, according to Kilmarnock Police.
The Northumberland County Sheriff's Office said on their Facebook they have seen several break-ins over the last week at churches in the Burgess area of the county. They also said they've had four churches in total burglarized since Jan. 15.
They asked anyone with information to contact Detective Jones at tjones@northumberlandsheriff.net or by phone at 804-580-5221.
They did not specify which churches were affected, but CBS 6 reached out to the Sheriff's Office for more details and is waiting on a response.
The Richmond County Sheriff's Office — another neighboring county — said they're increasing patrols around their local churches in an effort to prevent any potential break-ins.
Officials have not specifically said if they think all of the recent church break-ins are related.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
