Police arrest Batavia man in connection with church burglary

A Batavia man was arrested Oct. 7, accused of burglarizing Batavia United Methodist Church in August.

Michael D. Gentile, 26, of 6 N. Batavia Ave., Apt. 1, is being held on $75,000 bond.

Office and electronic equipment, including monitors and a sound system equipment, were discovered stolen at 6:42 a.m. Aug. 10 from the church, 8 N. Batavia Ave. Whoever took them broke into several offices in the building by carefully removing panes of glass in windows next to the office doors, then reaching in to unlock the doorknobs.

Batavia police declined to say why they suspected Gentile.

Theft of property valued between $300 and $10,000 from a house of worship or a school is a Class 2 felony.

Gentile was accused in February 2002 of burglarizing six businesses in Geneva, three in St. Charles and one in Naperville. He was convicted that year of burglary in St. Charles and forgery in Geneva. In 2006, he was convicted of a Batavia burglary, and sentenced to 30 months in prison. He was arrested in January 2006 on charges of resisting a peace officer and attempted obstruction of justice. He served one year in prison on the burglary, obstruction and forgery charges, and was paroled Dec. 12, 2007.