RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. — A man whom law enforcement agencies across the country had been looking for was arrested last week after trying to burglarize a church in California.
The Memorial Villages Police Department played a pivotal role in tracking him down.
Malin Rostas, 45, was arrested in Riverside County on Wednesday. Authorities said they took him into custody for an outstanding felony warrant for burglary out of Pennsylvania. The Riverside County Sheriff's Office said additional charges would be filed for the attempted burglary in Moreno Valley, which is just east of Los Angeles.
Rostas, a New York resident, gained access to churches in the Houston area last year by disguising himself as "Father Martin," authorities said. Most recently he was captured on surveillance cameras at Holy Name Retreat Center in Memorial Villages last month.
"This time, he appeared to be disguised wearing a toupee," Memorial Villages PD detective Christopher Rodriguez said. "He was kind of walking the halls, in and out of the gift shop, looking through drawers, and the monetary gift boxes. One of the priests confronted him and asked him what he was doing. He provided a bogus name."
A few days later, police learned he allegedly swiped $6,000 worth of jewelry from a woman staying at the Catholic retreat center.
"The church had some pretty fantastic cameras we used to identify the suspect vehicle," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez tracked the vehicle down on FLOCK license plate reader cameras and learned the same car was tied to crimes in New York. It didn't take long to connect the dots. Rodriguez is accused of impersonating a priest in multiple jurisdictions. He was arrested in California after Rodriguez alerted local law enforcement he was heading their way.
Previous thefts
Rostas allegedly impersonated a priest to gain access to churches and steal from them, according to a memo sent by the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston last year.
According to the memo, "Father Martin" stole from a southwest Houston church. He told a staff member that he was supposed to be staying in the parish rectory. He was given access and that's when he stole from them. It's unclear what he took.
RELATED: Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston warns of 'Father Martin,' a fake priest stealing from churches
The memo was sent on Oct. 30, although it's unclear when the theft happened.
According to the memo, "Father Martin" researched and targeted specific churches to learn about staff members to gain access. He would claim to be a visiting priest from out of state to get access.
"Father Martin" didn't only strike in Houston, though. The memo said he had been seen at several locations in the Diocese of Dallas and also had outstanding warrants from around the country. The Diocese of Dallas confirmed that the imposter recently gained access to five churches or diocese properties -- two in downtown Dallas, one in northeast Dallas, one in southwest Dallas and one in Farmers Branch.
Rostas is believed to have targeted multiple parishes around the country. Anyone with more information is asked to call police.