OAK HARBOR – Police are trying to solve a rash of burglaries that have happened at churches on the north end of Whidbey Island during the past few weeks.
Thieves have stolen cash from four churches in Oak Harbor and two in nearby unincorporated areas. They’ve also broken into a few businesses, Island County Sheriff’s Office Cmdr. Michael Beech said.
“They’re not looking for the property; they’re just looking for the cash,” Beech said.
Police believe two men being sought in connection with a robbery in north Whidbey Island last month may be connected with the burglaries.
In that robbery, a man was beaten with a broomstick after he came home and found two intruders in his house. The crooks stole about $500 and fled, Beech said.
Police have released sketches of the two suspects. The suspects match the descriptions of two men who were part of a group suspected of committing several burglaries in the Edmonds area late last year, Beech said.
The suspects in the Edmonds burglaries are from Skagit County.
It’s not unusual for crooks in Skagit County to commit crimes on Whidbey Island, Island County sheriff’s spokeswoman Jan Smith said.
There’s a possibility that others might be responsible for the burglaries on north Whidbey Island, Beech said.
“We’re not zeroing in on these people alone,” he said. “It could be they weren’t involved in any of the commercial burgs, that it could be somebody local.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the Island County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 360-679-7319.
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
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