Church burglary suspect goes from unmasked to Batman costume mid-heist, SC cops say
A 25-year-old man is accused of stealing at least $700 worth of equipment from a South Carolina church — wearing a Batman costume he found on the premises, according to arrest reports.
But not before security cameras captured his face.
Dalton Alexander Lazurick was arrested July 28 on charges of second-degree burglary and grand larceny, arrest records show. A citizen who saw Lazurick’s face in the surveillance footage sent the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office a tip regarding his identity, which led to his arrest, Lt. Kevin Bobo told McClatchy News.
According to an arrest report, Lazurick broke into an administrative building belonging to Anderson Mill Baptist Church through an unlocked window shortly before 11 p.m. on July 23.
Pastor Samuel Anderson told investigators he was the last one to leave the church around 5:30 p.m. that day, at which point “nothing was missing.”
But he thought a window had been left unlocked, allowing someone to push it up and enter the building, according to the report. Anderson gave authorities a copy of surveillance footage from the night in question.
The deputy who viewed the footage said Lazurick was seen entering the building at 10:55 p.m.
“The white male walked across the hall into an office where he discovered a Batman costume,” the report states. “He then puts on the costume and goes into other offices, taking computer monitors and other items. In one frame, he appears to be drinking a can of Coke.”
The church shared some of the surveillance footage with WSPA.
In the video, Lazurick is seen entering the hallway unmasked. Another camera then captures him walking into an unseen doorway before reemerging in a Batman cape and mask.
He spends the next several minutes stockpiling his loot in the hallway, the footage shows, and leaves around 11:15 p.m., according to the arrest report.
Lazurick ultimately made off with two computer monitors, a subwoofer, a Sony speaker, a keyboard, a pair of Apple air pods, a pair of Sennheiser headphones and $25 in change, the report states.
Warrants for his arrest — which valued the missing items at more than $2,000 but less than $10,000 — were issued July 27.
His bail was set at $10,000.
This story was originally published August 3, 2020 at 1:58 PM with the headline "Church burglary suspect goes from unmasked to Batman costume mid-heist, SC cops say."
