Police arrested a man after he allegedly broke into a church in Beach Park earlier this week and stole copper piping that he ripped out, prosecutors said.
Miguel A. Davila, 36, of Waukegan, was charged with one count of felony burglary.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Manuel Mandujano said that someone reported seeing Davila riding a bicycle from the back of York House United Methodist Church, 37768 North Green Bay Road in Beach Park.
Davila was carrying a backpack, which had copper pipe in it, and he also was holding mangled copper pipes in his hand, Mandujano said.
A broken window was found at the church on Tuesday and Lake County sheriff’s deputies found Davila near a scrapyard in the area.
Davila’s hands were cut up and there was blood on the copper in the backyard, Mandujano said.
There was also blood in the church where the copper had been ripped out. The recovered copper matched to the missing copper in the church.
Davila admitted to entering the church and stealing the copper, Mandujano said.
Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak ordered Davila held on a $250,000 bond.
Davila also had two active warrants, one out of Georgia and another out of Pennsylvania. One of the warrants is extraditable and Potkonjak ordered Davila held without bond on that warrant.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 8.