San Jose man arrested at church, accused of snatching $53K in donations

Amy Larson
·2 min read

(KRON) — A San Jose man was charged with a series of burglaries at churches and temples throughout the South Bay, stealing tens of thousands of dollars in donations, prosecutors said Thursday.

Jaime Gutierrez Flores, 33, was arrested at a San Jose church last weekend. Investigators said they are still searching for accomplices who were involved in the series of break-ins and burglaries.

“Our schools, our homes, our places of worship, are special and sacred places and when they are invaded by criminals it feels as though our whole community has been violated,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “Our office will hold this criminal, and anyone who acted with him, fully responsible to the law.”

Flores is charged with burglarizing more than half a dozen religious places of worship. Investigators said they found Internet searches for temples on Flores’ phone.

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The crime spree stretched from December 2023 until February 2024.

According to the DA’s Office, the crimes included:

  • At 2:25 a.m., on Dec. 4, Flores broke into a Santa Clara church with another man, stealing $1,805 worth of property, including $1,640 in cash donations.

  • After midnight on Dec. 5, Flores and two accomplices broke through a front glass door of a temple in Milpitas, stole a donation box, damaged a second donation box, and grabbed $6,000 in cash.

  • The following evening, Flores and an accomplice pried their way into a Hindu temple in Sunnyvale and stole donation boxes with $15,000 in donations inside.

  • The group returned to the same temple the next night and took $25,000 more.

  • A few weeks later, the group targeted the Sunnyvale Hindu temple yet again, and stole $6,000 more in donations. A Sunnyvale police officer attempted to arrest the thieves as they drove away from the temple in a stolen getaway car. Flores aimed the car at the police patrol car and escaped, the DA’s Office said. The officer narrowly managed to avoid injury.

  • Flores also burglarized a church in San Jose, as well as several other businesses in Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, and San Jose.

Flores was arraigned on Wednesday in the Hall of Justice in San Jose. He is being held on $1 million bail and his next court date is March 22.

 

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