Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies arrested a man suspected of breaking into and taking property from the Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Congregation Church in Goleta on Sunday.
A church employee called 9-1-1 at about 8:30 a.m. after a man reportedly broke a window to get access to the church at 820 N. Fairview Ave., according to Sgt. Garrett Te Slaa.
The man, identified as Joseph Rose, formerly of Boston, fled when confronted, Te Slaa said.
The church employee’s description of Rose helped deputies track down the suspect a few blocks away.
“When we contacted the suspect, he had cuts on his hands and arms consistent with broken glass, and he had property from the church with him,” Te Slaa said.
According to Te Slaa, Rose had “additional evidence on him suggesting that he had burglarized the nearby Coastline Christian Academy” at 5950 Cathedral Oaks Road, which was reinforced by an investigation by deputies at that location.
The investigation also turned up evidence that tied Rose to another recent burglary at Goleta Valley Church, 595 N. Fairview Ave.
As with Sunday’s incident, Te Slaa noted, the Goleta Valley Church suspect “had broken a window and was interrupted by a church employee” before fleeing the scene.
Rose was taken into custody and booked into County Jail on two burglary counts, officials said.
— Noozhawk staff writer Sam Goldman can be reached at sgoldman@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.