KNOXVILLE (WBIR) - A Knoxville church discovered its air conditioning units missing this morning for the third time in two years.
American Baptist Church, a small church in the northwest Knoxville community of Lonsdale, had its air conditioning units stolen a year and a half ago and copper wire stolen from the inside of the units again last year. Head pastor Danny Ogle said the replacement cost has been about $5,000 each time.
"Insurance has been good about covering it," said Ogle. "But it's a hardship on the church, it's a hardship because you have no heat and air, you have to wait for a company to install. It hurts people spiritually."
The church installed security cameras after the last theft and caught the thief on video. The surveillance video shows a slender man driving a green, early-90s model pickup truck.
Ogle said the Knoxville Police Department is investigating the theft. Investigators fingerprinted the area and are reviewing the surveillance video. He said he's hoping the thief will turn himself in.
"We want him to know that we love him," said Ogle. "But we want him to be brought to justice."
