Metro Crime Spree Attributed To Escaped Convict

An escaped convict goes on a crime spree through the metro.

For weeks he hit hospitals and churches, but was arrested Wednesday as he walked out of the Bethany First Church of the Nazarene.

Police say they found in his possession items stolen from area hospitals and churches over the past several weeks. His downfall was messing with the wrong church.

The folks at Bethany First Church of the Nazarene first noticed someone was stealing from them a couple of weeks ago.

"Sound equipment and some different things had gone missing," said Bob Miller, the director of communications at Bethany First Church of the Nazarene.

So they checked their surveillance video and sent out the culprit's picture to everyone who works at the church.

"This youth pastor had actually put this picture as his screen saver on his computer for the past two weeks," said Miller.

It was that same pastor that noticed Andrew Smith trying to get into the church Wednesday afternoon. So he invited an unsuspecting Smith in.

"He (Smith) was saying he and his wife were looking for a place to get married," said Miller.

The pastor then took Smith upstairs, to the church offices, where a quick getaway was more difficult. And the church secretary tried to help him book his wedding while the pastor called police.

"He was very nervous, he was very nervous being here and we just kept delaying his exit as much as we can, as lovingly as we know how," said Miller.

In less than ten minutes Smith was in custody now facing charges for thefts not only at this church. But the Children's center and Integris hospital.

"He's a one-man crime wave going on," said John Reid, the deputy chief of the Bethany Police Department. "I think this is just the beginning. By the time this is all said and done, we're probably going to have several victims and burglaries and larcenies that will be cleared up due to this arrest."

Detectives in Edmond are also looking into if Smith is responsible for thefts at a church there.

Smith escaped from the Union City Correctional Facility where he was doing eight years for concealing stolen property.