Police K-9 tracks down alleged church burglar in Virginia
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A suspected church burglar in Fairfax County was arrested after being caught on camera and by a police K-9, authorities said.
On Friday, Fairfax County police released body camera footage from a mid-September burglary at Mount Vernon United Methodist Church in Belle Haven.
The video shows a man inside the church, later identified as 29-year-old Alexander Giuriceo. A K-9 unit tracked Giuriceo down, finding him hiding in a bush outside the church.
Police K-9 tracks down alleged church burglar in Virginia. Mount Vernon Univted Methodist Church in Belle Haven, Virginia.
He was arrested and charged with burglary and destruction of property.
Fairfax County police highlighted this case as part of a growing trend of burglaries targeting places of worship.
Just this week, Montgomery County police reported a break-in at a Hindu temple in Gaithersburg. Other incidents include an air conditioning unit stolen from a church in District Heights in July and thefts at a mosque in Germantown and a Buddhist temple in Silver Spring earlier this year.
Security expert Derrick Parks explained that churches are often seen as "soft targets" due to the lack of trained security professionals.
"For the average church, you don’t really see a high volume of trained security professionals," Parks said back in August.
FOX 5's efforts to reach Giuriceo for comment were not immediately successful.