Crime & Safety

One-Day Burglary Binge Hits Aliso Viejo

Four residences suffer break-ins Thursday, including the rectory home of Corpus Christi Catholic Church pastor Fred Bailey.

A string of four burglaries rattled an Aliso Viejo neighborhood Thursday, and the loot included a heavy safe stolen from a Catholic pastor's home. But authorities said they weren't sure if the crimes were connected.

In one case, someone broke into the rectory home of Fr. Fred Bailey, pastor at , between 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m., according to Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino. The burglar removed a safe containing roughly $10,000 cash from stipends given to the priest over the last 15 years, Bailey said during a Sunday sermon.

Three other burglaries were reported Thursday within 1.5 miles of Bailey’s home near Vista del Canon, authorities said Monday. The other burglaries occurred at Remington Lane, Coastal Oak and Roundtree Ct.

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Although Bailey's general neighborhood had previously logged only six burglaries in the the last six months, Amormino said he wouldn't label the break-ins as "a rash of burglaries."

– Staff writer Adam Townsend contributed to this story.

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