DENVER — A man has been arrested and charged for a burglary at a Catholic Church in Denver at the end of August.
The Denver Police Department confirmed Friday Deshun Glenn was taken into custody and believed to be the person who broke into Curé d’Ars Catholic Church on Aug. 31.
The church said thousands of dollars in equipment was stolen, including surveillance cameras, sound and live-streaming equipment and the copper piping in and around the building. The church’s tabernacle, considered by Catholics to contain the body and blood of Jesus Christ, was also stolen.
"My heart sank and said, 'Oh, my god, the tabernacle is gone,'" Father Joseph Cao previously told Denver7.
The church confirmed in a Facebook post that a tabernacle, a ciborium, a communion bowl and a container used to hold the priest's hosts were all recovered, but the eucharist and sound equipment have not been found.
Due to the copper piping being stolen, flooding occurred in the church’s basement, which also led to the air conditioning unit no longer working. The church said work is still being done to repair and replace everything damaged.
An arrest affidavit for Glenn says he tried to sell some of the church’s items to someone. He was arrested on other burglary warrants on Sept. 21. He is currently facing three burglary charges. The other two charges are for incidents that occurred on Feb. 25 and Sept. 20.
The Denver Police Department said it believes the burglary at the church may be part of a pattern of burglaries that may involve other churches. No further details on the other incidents were provided.
Glenn is scheduled for court on Oct. 13.
Donations to help Curé d’Ars Catholic Church can be made online.
