NEOSHO, MO.--- Jack Coyle was in the office at Northside Baptist Church, when he answered an unusual phone call.
"From the local pawn shop, saying somebody is down there trying to pawn a chainsaw from Northside Baptist Church," says Jack Coyle, Northside Baptist Church.
Coyle immediately went to the church's shed to find the door had been busted in and several pieces of equipment were missing.
"These saws were used by the church for relief work around the country, including New Orleans," says Coyle.
Pawn shop workers had cross-checked the serial numbers on the tools, which led them to believe they were stolen. Police officers say that has become standard protocol for second hand stores in Neosho.
"They're quite good at spotting suspicious activity and then calling when someone brings stolen property to their store," states Dave McCracken, Neosho Police Chief.
Officers confiscated 3 chainsaws from the pawn shop and in less than 12 hours, arrested 21-year-old Dale Martin.
"Searched the storage building on his property and recovered 4 more," says Chief McCracken.
Church members have already fixed the door, and Coyle says they're taking extra precautions to ensure something like this doesn't happen again.
"Sign of the times. If you don't put a big steel door on there, somebody is probably going to take it," says Coyle.
Today, Neosho Police Officers recovered 3 more chainsaws from a different location. Church members are still doing inventory to determine if anything else was taken. Martin is currently being held at the Newton County Jail on a $5,000 bond.
"From the local pawn shop, saying somebody is down there trying to pawn a chainsaw from Northside Baptist Church," says Jack Coyle, Northside Baptist Church.
Coyle immediately went to the church's shed to find the door had been busted in and several pieces of equipment were missing.
"These saws were used by the church for relief work around the country, including New Orleans," says Coyle.
Pawn shop workers had cross-checked the serial numbers on the tools, which led them to believe they were stolen. Police officers say that has become standard protocol for second hand stores in Neosho.
"They're quite good at spotting suspicious activity and then calling when someone brings stolen property to their store," states Dave McCracken, Neosho Police Chief.
Officers confiscated 3 chainsaws from the pawn shop and in less than 12 hours, arrested 21-year-old Dale Martin.
"Searched the storage building on his property and recovered 4 more," says Chief McCracken.
Church members have already fixed the door, and Coyle says they're taking extra precautions to ensure something like this doesn't happen again.
"Sign of the times. If you don't put a big steel door on there, somebody is probably going to take it," says Coyle.
Today, Neosho Police Officers recovered 3 more chainsaws from a different location. Church members are still doing inventory to determine if anything else was taken. Martin is currently being held at the Newton County Jail on a $5,000 bond.
