April 14--A man faces multiple charges after police say he took cash and Communion wafers from a Roman Catholic church in Freeland on Thursday afternoon.
Borough police filed burglary, trespass and theft charges against Robert P. DeMelfi Jr., 23, after they found him with $24 and a bag of Communion wafers taken from Immaculate Conception Church on Centre Street, court papers said.
Officers responded to a report of a burglary in progress at the church at 2:25 p.m., court papers said. Then, the officers heard a door leading upstairs close, court papers said.
An offering box labeled "Poor Box" sat empty on a stairway leading outside, according to court papers.
A borough streets department worker came inside and told officers that DeMelfi was outside talking with the Rev. Duane Gavitt, the church's pastor, court papers said. Freeland police Officer Matthew Williams noted that Gavitt had been trying to help DeMelfi, but recently told him to stay away due to thefts.
Officers detected a foul odor when they first entered the church basement, and recognized the same odor when they encountered DeMelfi, according to court papers. They also found a bag of Communion wafers in the back waistband of his pants during an initial search, court papers said.
DeMelfi admitted to taking the wafers, which he referred to as "crackers," said Williams, who tried to explained they were sacred hosts from the church.
"But I'm hungry," DeMelfi told Williams, again referring to the hosts as "crackers," according to the officer.
Williams said he further questioned DeMelfi about the empty box found in the stairwell, and DeMelfi told him, "I didn't take anything from the Poor Box."
Gavitt told police that the box had several $5 and $1 bills inside that morning, and officers found four $5 bills and four $1 bills inside DeMelfi's wallet after taking him into custody, court papers said.
DeMelfi, who was lodged in Luzerne County Correctional Facility in Wilkes-Barre in lieu of $5,000 bail following arraignment Thursday, also faces trespass and retail theft charges filed by borough and state police in separate incidents this month.
Copyright 2012 - Standard-Speaker, Hazleton, Pa.
