Pastor tackles burglary suspect at church, holds him for police

Steve Kihlthau may be a pastor, but recent events at his Stockton church would have tried the patience of a saint.

Stockton Baptist Church had already been broken into three times in one week, Kihlthau told Fox40 in Sacramento, so after a fourth incident -- the burglar alarm went off at 3 a.m. Monday -- he headed to the church to check out the situation.

“All of a sudden, I heard a glass door start to open and I see a guy run out, carrying a satchel, a bag and I said a few choice words to say ‘Stop where you are,’” Kihlthau told the TV station.

The 60-year-old pastor said that when he didn’t see a visible weapon, he tackled the suspect.

“We wrestled on the ground, probably for at least five minutes, before the sheriff got here,” he said. “[I] beat him in the gut a few times He scratched me in a few places.”

San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrested 52-year-old Dwayne Hickingbottom in the case and charged him with burglary, battery and vandalism.

Kihlthau said thousands of dollars worth of equipment, including three computers, had been take in the previous break-ins.

“When Jesus said turn the other cheek, he wasn’t talking about letting them rip you off,” he said.

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