Thieves steal $13K worth of copper wiring from church

CHANNELVIEW, TX Thieves stripped copper from five air conditioning units last week at the Old River Terrace Methodist Church in Channelview. Worshippers say the thieves ripped apart some of the units, leaving only the base, and carried others off just to get to the copper wiring inside. It will cost the church $13,000 for repairs. That's money the congregation doesn't have.

"Even the criminal element had respect for God's domain here on earth, and a lot of that respect is gone, unfortunately, and it's really sad," said Bill Anders of the Old River Terrace Methodist Church.

It's not the first time thieves have targeted the house of worship.