La Porte police investigate June 20 church office purse theft

Investigators are asking for help to find a man accused of stealing a purse from the First Baptist Church of La Porte, according to a press release.
 
The theft happened June 20, when police say Christopher Douglas Hardwick went into the church office and walked out with credit cards and a cell phone belonging to the pastor's wife during a morning service.
 
"I came in and saw the contents of my purse emptied out right here on the sofa, and it took me a minute to realize what had happened," said Cindey Gill, the pastor’s wife.

Police officials said they have surveillance video of a man using the stolen credit cards at a local Target to buy items worth $1,500. They also have footage of a man using the cards at a Chevron gas station. The clues, police said, could lead to an arrest.
 
"Anytime you have someone commit such a brazen act, that's something we want to attack right away. But to go ahead and step into one of our local churches, that's something that has a heightened value," said John Krueger of the La Porte Police Department.
 
Hardwick was last seen in a white Chevy Cobalt, investigators said.
 
Anyone with information regarding Hardwick’s whereabouts should call the La Porte police at 281-471-3811.