EAST LAMPETER TOWNSHIP, PA — A Lancaster man has been arrested after police say he stole mail from a church.
Colandreo Gilchrist, 61, of Lancaster, was charged with one count of criminal trespass, a third-degree felony.
On April 20, 2026, at approximately 11:22 a.m., a man entered the Mellinger Mennonite Church located at 1916 Lincoln Highway East requesting to speak with a pastor.
The man proceeded past the church office and later located church members’ mailboxes where he removed envelopes and placed them into his pockets, police said.
Staff members located and confronted the man, who claimed he was using the bathroom.
The man then asked if the church had any work for him and provided a false name and phone number before exiting the church and leaving the area.
Through investigation, the man was identified as Gilchrist.
Det. Sgt. Brian Cloonan obtained a warrant charging him with criminal trespass.
Gilchrist was later detained during a parole meeting, arraigned and committed to Lancaster County Prison.
