Athens Review, Athens, Texas

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July 18, 2011

List of church A/C thefts grows

Man confesses to stealing three air conditioners from three local churches

Rich Flowers The Athens Review

Athens — A 33-year-old man was arrested Saturday in connection with the theft of church air-conditioners, an offense that has been growing in frequency lately, Henderson County Sheriff Ray Nutt said.

Aaron Davis Kiker remained in the Henderson County Jail Monday, charged with theft of property $1,500 to $20,000.

Bond was set at $12,000 on the state jail felony, which carries a sentence of 180 days to two years upon conviction, and a possible fine of up to $12.000. The Kaufman County Sheriff’s office is also investigating two additional AC units taken there.

HCSO reports said Dep. Kenny Collard received a report Saturday night about an abandoned vehicle blocking the roadway on Henderson County Road 2102. Collard looked the vehicle over, and saw signs that it had been wrecked and was immobilized by a damaged front tire.

Collard ordered the vehicle romoved from the roadway due to it being a safety hazard, Nutt said, and started looking into a report of stolen copper that had been called in from near the spot the vehicle was located.

During his investigation, he learned that air conditioners had been taken from nearby churches.

Nutt said Collard determined that Kiker was the registered owner of the abandoned vehicle.

Collard contacted Kiker, who confessed to stealing three air conditioners from two local churches.

Two of the units were stolen from Calvary Baptist Church, located at the intersection of County Line Road and State Highway 274.

A third unit was reported stolen from the Praise and Worship Center on State Highway 274 in Tool.

HCSO reports said the air-conditioning units had been removed during the early morning on July 14. Kiker told autorities that he dismanteled the units to break them down for sale as scrap metal.

Collard determined that the earlier theft of copper wire was unrelated to the air-conditioner thefts. 

Last week, a church on North  Underwood Street in Athens reported a stolen air conditioner. In late June, Navarro County was the scene of a rash of church air conditioners.

The Corsicana Sun reported that nine air-conditioning units were stolen from the Dawson Baptist Church. Other theft calls came from the Dawson Baptist Life Center; the Blooming Grove Prosperity Bank and Community Baptist Church in Purdon.

Numerous other air-conditioner thefts are under investigation in north and east Texas.

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