A 23-year-old Mesa man is facing felony charges after Tempe police say he broke into Grace Community Church's student center overnight, causing roughly $10,000 in damage before fleeing in a car that later blew a tire near the Tempe-Mesa border. Erick Encinas was booked into Tempe city jail on burglary and aggravated criminal damage charges following a multi-agency investigation that stitched together church surveillance footage, city street cameras, and a roadside encounter with a stranger.
The break-in happened around 1:45 a.m. on August 21 at Grace Community Church, near Southern Avenue and Rural Road, according to FOX 10 Phoenix. Security video from the church captured the suspect using a crowbar to smash through a glass door before pushing over a computer, hitting a television screen, and banging on a drum set inside the student center, as reported by 12News. Investigators say Encinas fled with stolen electronics, including a PlayStation 5 belonging to the church's youth group.
Grace Community Church, founded in 1967 at 1200 E. Southern Ave., runs youth, college, and community outreach programs out of its campus, according to the church's own materials. The student center that was targeted serves as a hub for those programs, making the break-in a direct hit on the church's outreach space rather than its main sanctuary.
Cameras and a Flat Tire Close the Net
Tempe's Real-Time Operations Center, which launched in July 2024 to integrate feeds from city traffic, park, and facility cameras, allowed analysts to trace the suspect's vehicle away from the church, according to the same account. That tracking effort came even as Tempe had turned off its Flock Safety automatic license plate reader cameras in late August after city council members raised privacy concerns, per KTAR News 92.3, leaving officers to lean on standard traffic and municipal cameras instead.
About 30 minutes after the burglary, Mesa police responded to a call about a disabled vehicle near the Tempe-Mesa border, where the suspect's car had lost a tire. When officers contacted Encinas, he had fresh cuts on his arms and was wearing clothing that matched the church surveillance video, according to KTAR News. The station reports he had reportedly told a passerby that he was coming from assaulting a pastor at a church — a claim police reports have not confirmed, and it remains unclear whether any physical assault actually occurred during or after the break-in.
Search Warrant Turns Up Stolen Property
Detectives located Encinas' apartment in Mesa on September 1, and the Tempe Police Department Criminal Apprehension and Surveillance Team executed a search warrant there. Investigators recovered the suspect's car, stolen property, a lanyard, and clothing worn during the crime, all matching what was seen in the church's surveillance footage, per the same account. Encinas was arrested at the apartment and booked into Tempe city jail on burglary and aggravated criminal damage charges.
Tempe Police Department spokesperson Pablo Guzman said, “This case is a great example of our specialized units working together and following every lead.” The department describes the investigation as one that connected church surveillance, street cameras, and a roadside confession into a single case against Encinas.
What the Charges Could Mean
Under Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-1506, entering or remaining unlawfully in a nonresidential structure with intent to commit theft or a felony constitutes third-degree burglary, a Class 4 felony that can carry up to 3.75 years in prison for a first offense, according to legal explainers from Casa Grande Law Firm. Separately, Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-1604 elevates standard criminal damage to aggravated criminal damage when the property defaced or damaged sits in or on a place of worship, a distinction that reflects specific legal protections for religious institutions, per Arjashah Law Group. That elevation is why Encinas faces felony aggravated criminal damage rather than a lesser charge, given the roughly $10,000 in damage police attribute to the break-in.
The case echoes a Phoenix church and cemetery break-in reported just two days earlier, in which suspects stole $25,000 worth of bronze plaques and metal items from a Camelback East area site. Both incidents involved forced entry and high-value losses at religious or sacred sites in the greater Phoenix area, though they remain separate investigations. Tempe's own crime statistics for 2025 showed an 8.6 percent decrease in violent crime and a 14 percent drop in overall serious offenses compared to 2024, according to Tempe Police Department data.
