SAN JOSE — A man has been charged with a series of break-ins at South Bay churches and Hindu temples in which he is accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from collection plates and donation boxes, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
Authorities also allege that Jaime Gutierrez Flores, 33, of San Jose, was behind at least eight burglaries involving houses of worship and and two eateries that targeted locations in San Jose, Milpitas, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale.
At least two other men are believed to have participated with Gutierrez Flores in some of the burglaries, which spanned from December through March, prosecutors said. They added that an examination of his phone found that he was searching for temple locations around the time each alleged burglary occurred.
Gutierrez Flores was arrested Sunday at a San Jose church this past weekend and was booked into the Elmwood men’s jail in Milpitas, where he is currently being held without bail. A criminal complaint filed Wednesday lists 10 burglary counts — eight of them felonies — as well as four counts of felony vandalism, a count of misdemeanor vandalism, two counts of vehicle theft, and one count each of grand theft and possessing burglary tools.
He was also charged with assaulting a police officer after allegedly “steering a stolen car” at a Sunnyvale police officer while fleeing a burglary at a Hindu temple in that city.
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The defendant and his suspected accomplices are accused of targeting that Sunnyvale temple at least three times starting on Dec. 5, at first taking about $15,000 by stealing donation boxes, then returning the next day to steal $25,000. The third incident, on Dec. 25, involved a theft of $6,000 and the alleged officer assault.
“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,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement.
A news release from the district attorney’s office said the burglaries also included a Dec. 4 incident at a Santa Clara church in which the intruders stole $1,805 worth of property, most of that cash; and a Dec. 5 break-in at a Hindu temple in Milpitas where a donation box and about $6,000 were stolen. A Chinese restaurant in East San Jose and an Asian food truck in Sunnyvale were also allegedly targeted by Gutierrez Flores, according to the complaint.
Court records show Gutierrez Flores was arraigned Wednesday and was ordered to return to court March 22 for a bail hearing and on April 17 for a plea hearing.
