Police are investigating the theft of a propane tank from a city church sometime late last week.
On Saturday night around 10 p.m., Elizabethton Police Department Cpl. Jordan Ensor was dispatched to New Hope Ministries, located at 706 Blevins Ave., on a report of theft at the church. When Ensor arrived, he spoke with Tim Chambers, the pastor of New Hope Ministries.
“Mr. Chambers stated that he came to the church to turn the heat on for the Sunday service and discovered that the propane tank was missing from outside the building,” Ensor said.
Chambers told the officer he was last at the church around 3 p.m. on Wednesday and the propane tank was still there at that time. The 100-gallon tank had just been filled, Chambers said.
In addition to the tank and the fuel it contained, Chambers said a regulator that was attached to the tank had also been stolen. The estimated value of the tank and the attached regulator is $225, Chambers said.
In a post on the Facebook page for New Hope Ministries Saturday evening, Chambers informed the congregation about the theft.
“I just wanted to let everyone know that our propane tank at New Hope Ministries that we use for emergency heat in the sanctuary has been stolen,” Chambers said. “Someone backed a truck up over the landscaping rock and into our flower bed in order to lift it on the truck.
“Please pray for the person or persons who did this,” Chambers added. “Hopefully we can replace it in the future. It sure came in handy on those cold mornings when we needed to knock the chill off.”
Anyone with information regarding the theft is asked to contact the Elizabethton Police Department Criminal Investigations Division at (423) 547-6250 or (423) 547-6415 or individuals may use the EPD Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (423) 542-7574.