Suspect arrested in Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley church burglaries

A 44-year-old man with a history of burglary convictions was behind bars Thursday on suspicion of breaking into churches in Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley and Los Angeles County.

Huntington Beach police arrested Juan Carlos Montiel Wednesday on suspicion of burglarizing First Christian Church at 1207 Main St., according to Corbin Carson, a spokesman for the Huntington Beach Police Department.

An employee of the church confronted the suspect early Aug. 17. The suspect appeared to be an electrician with tools who said he was responding to a power outage in the area, Carson said. The church employee was suspicious because the power was not out and had him leave the property.

Evidence at the break-in and surveillance video aided investigators in working up a suspect in the burglary, Carson said, adding that Montiel is suspected in church burglaries throughout the Southland.

Montiel has a lengthy history of burglary convictions dating back to 2007, according to court records.

Montiel was out on bail in an identity theft case when he failed to appear in court in September and a warrant was issued for his arrest, according to court records.

In August 2021, he pleaded guilty to burglarizing the First Evangelical Free Church in Brea and the Sarang Community Church in Anaheim, according to court records. He also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of grand theft by employee and fraud in a case out of the city of Orange and to a felony count of burglary and misdemeanor possession of burglary tools in a case out of Anaheim.

Montiel pleaded guilty to felony burglary in July 2008 and was sentenced to three years in prison, according to court records.