Cops: Man was going after church till, again
A man bent on chasing the almighty dollar chased it right into the house of the Almighty on Sunday, when he tried to break into the collection box at an Upper Darby church, according to police.
A man bent on chasing the almighty dollar chased it right into the house of the Almighty on Sunday, when he tried to break into the collection box at an Upper Darby church, according to police.
Greg Mullen, 46, of Eddystone, was found trying to break open the collection box at St. Eugene's Church in the township's Primos section after his banging around attracted the attention of a priest and a parishioner, according to court documents.
"That's low," said Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood. "This guy is a scumbag to break into a church."
His behavior in church only dipped lower when, after the Rev. Joseph McDermott left the chapel to call police, Mullen allegedly pushed over the parishioner, who tried to prevent Mullen from escaping.
Mullen fled but was apprehended soon after at a drugstore in Springfield Township, police said.
To make matters worse, this is allegedly the second time Mullen tried to break the "thou shall not steal" commandment in the same church, from the same collection box, according to statements McDermott made to police.
The first time, McDermott turned the other cheek when Mullen, who has no criminal record, begged him not to call police, court documents said. But on Sunday, McDermott didn't heed Mullen's pleas for forgiveness, Chitwood said.
Mullen, who didn't make off with any money, was charged with simple assault, harassment, robbery, theft and receiving stolen property. *
