Police said two 10-year-old boys were charged after allegedly stealing Easter baskets from a local church.

Lansdale investigators in Montgomery County said the boys entered Trinity Lutheran Church and stole holiday baskets intended for shut-ins.

---

Images | Video

---

The church pastor is asking the church community to forgive them.

"Obviously these young men I don't believe meant any harm," the Rev. Dayle Malloy said.

The pastor said the church offered real Easter baskets to the 10-year-old boys filled with jelly beans and chocolate but that offer was declined.

The stolen Easter baskets were filled with things like memo pads, tissues and nail clippers.

"They were probably quite surprised instead of jelly beans and chocolate rabbits they had combs, nail clippers and toothbrushes," Malloy said.

Malloy said the boys were playing on the church grounds earlier this week and likely entered the church function hall through an unlocked door and helped themselves to the baskets.

"Last Saturday this room was filled with 54 tables loaded with all the supplies, much of which was donated," Malloy said.

The church said that 300 of those baskets were made by a number of volunteers. Many of the baskets have already been given out and some of them were to be shared with elderly shut-ins during the Easter holiday.

According to a police report, the boys were held on charges of theft and terroristic threats after sources said in an unrelated case said the boys made threats against other children.

But because the boys are 10 years old, the law said they are too young for punishment by the justice system and both were released to their parents after spending the night in police custody.

"When we are involved in situations where young children commit acts, sometimes criminal acts, theft or breaking in or stealing like this. We sometimes wind up getting them involved in the juvenile system simply to try and get them the help that they need," Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said.

The church said it has replaced what the boys are accused of taking and said this isn't the season to be talking about punishment.

"We would rather not have had them stolen. It's an unpleasant experience for anybody to have someone enter their facility or their home and take something that doesn't belong to them. But we are certainly forgiving and it won't cause a big deal for us," Malloy said.