Man charged with vandalizing church's air conditioners | Crime

(WMC-TV) - Police say they caught a scrap metal thief after a dirty, sweaty chase in South Memphis Monday.

Officers were called to the Pilgrim's Christian Ministry Church, 1665 Rayner, after a witness spotted two men taking apart the church's air conditioning units.

The men took off when they spotted officers and more police were called in to help find them.

Officers finally found Michael Hines as he walked between a pair of homes in the 1600 block of Cincinnati, according to court records.

Police say Hines was sweaty and covered in dirt and bits of shrubbery from the chase when he was arrested.

While he was being placed in custody, officers say they spotted Hines sending a text message that read "They got me on Cincinnati."

Hines has been charged with evading arrest, possession of burglary tools, theft and vandalism.

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