HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — A 44-year-old man with a long record of burglary convictions has been charged with breaking into a church in Huntington Beach, authorities said Friday.
Juan Carlos Montiel was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of burglarizing First Christian Church at 1207 Main Street, according to Huntington Beach Police Department spokesperson Corbin Carson.
Police said the incident occurred early on August 17, when a church employee confronted a man posing as an electrician responding to a supposed power outage. The employee became suspicious because the building’s power was functioning normally and asked the man to leave.
Investigators later identified Montiel as the suspect using evidence from the scene and surveillance footage, Carson said. Police believe Montiel may also be involved in other church burglaries in Fountain Valley and Los Angeles.
Montiel was charged with a felony count of second-degree burglary and pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on Friday. His next court appearance is scheduled for October 20 at the North Justice Center in Fullerton.
According to court records, Montiel has an extensive criminal history dating back to 2007, including multiple burglary convictions. He was out on bail in an identity theft case when he failed to appear in court last month, prompting a warrant for his arrest.
In August 2021, Montiel pleaded guilty to burglarizing the First Evangelical Free Church in Brea and the Sarang Community Church in Anaheim, as well as misdemeanor counts of grand theft by employee and fraud in Orange. He also has a prior felony burglary conviction from 2008, when he was sentenced to three years in prison.
Authorities say his latest arrest highlights a pattern of church-related burglaries across Southern California.
