Lewes man charged with burglarizing local church

A Lewes man was arrested after police say he broke into a church and stole donation money.

According to Rehoboth Beach Police, on Monday, November 4, officers were called to the 400 block of King Charles Avenue for reports of a burglary at a local church.

Church officials reported that approximately $100 had been removed from a secure donation box and an unknown amount of food had been taken from an unsecured area within the church.

The donation box was damaged during the incident. A second donation box and an interior door were also damaged in attempts to open them as well, according to police.

Officers were provided with surveillance footage from October 27 in which a white male suspect could be seen entering the church and going to the areas of the donation boxes.

The footage also shows the subject tampering with the door that was damaged.

The suspect in the footage was identified as 34-year-old Matthew Long, of Lewes, who is a former employee of the church.

Officers obtained warrants for Long’s arrest and he was apprehended when he appeared at Sussex County Superior Court for an unrelated matter. He was released on $7,000 unsecured bond.