Milwaukee prayer candle donation box break-in, theft; 2 accused
Nicole Serdynski, Roberto Strong
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man and woman are accused of breaking into a prayer donation box at the Basilica of St. Josaphat and stealing the money inside that box. The accused are 35-year-old Nicole Serdynski and 43-year-old Roberto Strong. They each face the following criminal counts:
- Criminal damage to religious property
- Theft (value not exceeding $2,500)
Prayer donation box broken into
What we know:
According to the criminal complaint, a Basilica of St. Josaphat employee noticed on Tuesday, Jan. 27, that a "locked prayer candle donation box had been broken, and the donation money removed." That employee and a security manager reviewed the video within the chapel and "observed two known subjects, one man and one woman, breaking into the locked prayer box and taking the money," the complaint says. It was reported that the two individuals in the video frequently came to the church and "aggressively panhandled from parishioners," the complaint says. The two were "advised they were not welcome back to the Basilica, and they were given a trespassing warning on January 7," the complaint says.
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Investigating officers showed Basilica employees a photo array, and they positively identified Strong "as the man in the video assisting in breaking the prayer donation box and taking money," the complaint says. Serdynski was also identified through the video and photo array.
Statements from the accused
What they're saying:
Police questioned the two defendants. The criminal complaint says defendant Serdynski "stated that she broke into the prayer box to get money because she was hungry." She said the money was used to buy food.
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When defendant Strong was questioned, he told police "this was the 'dumbest crime' because he knew the church had video cameras," the complaint says. Strong told police they "only got a 'couple dollars.'"
Court appearances
What's next:
Serdynski and Strong were scheduled to make their initial appearances in Milwaukee County court on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access as well as the criminal complaint associated with this case.