'Selfie' leads to arrest in church burglary

California man left cellphone at the scene of the crime, police say

CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KSWB) – Police used a "selfie" photo found on a cellphone left at the scene of a church burglary to track down and arrest three suspects in the crime.

The break-in at Hilltop Tabernacle Church in South Bay was discovered on Feb. 10.

Someone broke into the building and ransacked the church, taking cash and a laptop computer, investigators said.

The thief or thieves also broke into a recreational vehicle parked on the property and stole several purses and watches. The total loss was estimated at $10,000.

Police found a cellphone left at the crime scene. On it, investigators found a "selfie" photo, and a detective recognized the location where the photo was taken as Harborside Park in Chula Vista.

Police took the photo to the park and showed it to people.

One of them recognized the person in the photo as 26-year-old Adam Howe and told officers where to look for him, police said.

The next day, police found Howe. They searched his belongings and found several items that had been taken from the church, according to police.