Police say two men waited until families in Mesa were at church to go and burglarize their cars and homes.
A Mesa family told police in January that they came home from church service and found two men in their garage trying to get inside the house.
The suspects drove off in a van with Utah plates, according to court documents. This happened after they said their car had been burglarized during church service. The family said their garage door remote was missing.
Three miles away, another homeowner reported to police that someone broke in and ransacked the place. Jewelry and electronics were taken and some of the walls were damaged.
That family attended the same church and noticed their garage door opener was also missing.
The family attended church near Southern and Higley in Mesa.
Police said 22-year-old Chase Davis Ayers began to pawn items he took. Officers tracked him because he used his driver's license to identify himself at the pawn shops, according to records.
Ayers was arrested on Feb. 9 and interviewed by police where he reportedly admitted to the alleged crimes and said another suspect was the mastermind behind the scheme.
He told police the other man, who has not been named, would give him drugs to help with the burglaries.
Ayers faces charges of burglary and trafficking of stolen goods.
