Homeless Man Arrested for Church Trespassing in Artesia

A homeless man was arrested on April 27 after allegedly breaking into a Korean American church in Artesia and secretly living in a room designated for young children.

According to Korean Independent Presbyterian Church, the man was discovered around 9:50 a.m. inside the children’s room of the church’s education building. Lee Min-Woo, a 51-year-old church evangelist, made the discovery while inspecting the building ahead of Sunday service.

Lee noticed something was off when the front door could not be unlocked with a key. He circled to the back and found the door had been tightly secured from the inside with what appeared to be plastic string. Concerned due to the room being used by children ages 4 to 8, Lee instructed his wife to follow and record the entry on video, then forced the door open.

Inside, he found a man—believed to be Hispanic—sleeping in the children’s room. The man reacted violently, swinging a metal camera tripod at Lee.

Wife called police immediately

Lee’s wife called police, who arrived within five minutes and arrested the trespasser. According to Lee, the man claimed that two others—a woman and another man—had also been present, though only one person was found at the scene.

The children’s room contained evidence of prolonged stay: a sleeping bag, cooking utensils, food, and clothing scattered across the floor.

Lee said he had checked the building the morning of April 26 and found nothing unusual. He believes the intruder entered after that time.

Entry and theft details

The suspected entry point was a storage room connected to the education building. Lee reported that the storage door was damaged and the ceiling torn, suggesting the man accessed the children’s room by climbing through. Footprints were also found inside the storage area.

Following the arrest, the church discovered $6,000 worth of items missing, including a trumpet, sound equipment, cameras, and speakers from the main sanctuary.

The church said this was not the first break-in. A previous theft occurred on April 16, when storage doors were found open and equipment missing, but no suspect had been identified at the time.

Parents express concern for children’s safety

The incident has raised alarm among parents. Yong Hye-Jin, a church member whose two daughters use the children’s room, said, “It was shocking to hear someone had been living secretly where our kids play. If the children had entered first, it could have been dangerous.”

Lee added that the man likely accessed the church multiple times and announced that the church would be installing security cameras and alarm systems to prevent future incidents.

BY HANKIL KANG [kang.hankil@koreadaily.com]