Pastor Breaks Into Parishioner's Home?

By Laura Strachan, Esq. on January 05, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Did a pastor really break into a parishioner's home using a ladder? The alleged pastor burglary took place in Dallas, Texas when a pastor reportedly broke into the house using a ladder on Christmas Eve.

The bizarre pastor break in, allegedly by Sandy McGriff, 52, had the pastor taking up to $10,000 worth of loot, including: fur coats, purses and laptop equipment. Before the break-in, MGriff called to confirm that his parishioner was out of his house.

Undoubtedly the most interesting aspect of the pastor burglary is the not-so-legal defense to the charge. McGriff claims that she was merely taking the items from the house in order to protect them from burglars, not steal the items herself.

"My mistake is that I did not call 911. I just used poor judgment," McGriff told the New York Daily News about her protection efforts. In order to "prove" that she did not have any intentions to burglarize the house, McGriff showed reporters that she already owned nine fur coats herself. Again, not a viable legal excuse to burglary.

In the end, McGriff spent Christmas Eve and Christmas in jail before parishioners paid her $26,000 bail.

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