Published: January 13, 2011
"Not a nice person"
Arrest made in ‘poor box’ thefts; second Catholic church also identified as victim
Authorities have arrested an ex-convict on parole in connection with a series of ‘poor box’ thefts at a Glendale parish, also implicating him in stealing money from another parish in Burbank.
Peter Galindro, 52, was arrested on the night of Jan. 10 at his mother’s home in Los Angeles by Glendale police and members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, the Glendale News Press reported. He was being held without bail at the Glendale Police Department Jail pending his arraignment.
The arrest came “just hours after they released his photograph to the public in an effort to generate tips,” the Glendale daily said. Witnesses identified Galindro in a photo lineup as the man who had repeatedly taken money from ‘poor boxes’ at Holy Family Catholic Church in Glendale, police told the News Press.
In the course of their investigation, Glendale police contacted law enforcement authorities in Burbank, “who had video surveillance of a thief stealing cash from a collection box at Saint Finbar Catholic Church in Burbank on Sept. 7,” the News Press reported. “That same day, a man stole a donation bag containing more than $5,000 from a parked car at the church, Burbank police said.”
While authorities were unable to find evidence connecting Galindro to the $5000 theft, witnesses who viewed the videotape identified the parolee as the man involved in the collection box theft at St. Finbar’s, the newspaper said.
"He is not a nice person," Bill Evans, facilities director of Holy Family Catholic Church, told the News Press. "We hope that he gets the help that he needs."
Authorities credit an alert police officer in Downey for breaking the case. The officer “heard news reports about the thefts and recalled that he also ran into a suspicious man who had been seen hanging around local churches,” said the News Press account. “The Downey officer looked through his notes and found the man's name, passing it on to local authorities who identified him as Galindro…”
Nice police work from Officer Downey! Glad they caught this guy who it seems is just a petty thief.
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