Thief makes dinner before stealing money, van from Oklahoma church - KFOR Oklahoma City

CYRIL, Okla. (KFOR) – A thief stole multiple items from a Cyril, Oklahoma church early Monday morning and even made food to eat in the process. 

It was apparently a long night spent inside the small town’s First Baptist Church. After a day of Sunday services, it became the target of the criminal. 

“When people get desperate, they do desperate things,” said Pastor Donny Crittendon. 

Crittendon said he came in Monday and knew something was wrong. 

“Sometime Sunday night, I forgot to lock a door,” he said. “I got distracted when I was walking back there and just flat forgot.” 

According to Crittendon, this was the only time the side door of the church was left unlocked. If he didn’t lock it, he said someone else usually would.

He said he isn’t sure if the thief has been checking the door for a long time, or if they got lucky and checked it the night it didn’t get locked. 

Crittendon said he checked his office first. He saw items rearranged on a shelf behind his desk. He said the thief took a foldable knife that was gifted to Crittendon by his daughter and turned it on a shelf decoration that resembled he and his daughter sitting next to one another. 

“He had opened it and laid it where the point was on my neck,” Crittendon said. 

The thief took money from an offering plate after that. Crittendon said it was roughly $40 in cash with some checks in it. 

“It’s almost as if he had been here before,” he said. 

Crittendon also found signs of the crime elsewhere, like a dish in the sink. 

“I checked a freezer,” he said. “They got a ten-pound bag of chicken strips. Evidently, he warmed them up and ate them.” 

That’s not all. 

“There’s cookies and candy on the center island of the kitchen, he ate some of those,” Crittendon said. 

Before leaving, Crittendon said the thief locked and closed about eight classroom doors in a hallway for an unknown reason. They eventually left. However, it wasn’t in their own vehicle. 

“Went outside and the van was gone,” he said. 

The thief stole a 2008 Chevy, 15-seat van from the church. They have a second one that’s identical to it.

Pastor Crittendon said he hopes justice prevails for whoever did this. Also, he said he hopes they have a change of heart. 

“We’re hoping this can be used to help reach a young man who is desperate right now and can make a difference in his life,” he said. “But there are consequences to your actions.” 

Crittendon said he filed a police report. According to Crittendon, he and police have an idea of who it may be, but the crime is still under investigation. 

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