Murder police excavating St Dunstans graveyard in the search for missing Lee Boxell helped catch a wanted man.
Dozens of police are currently in Cheam looking for clues as to the whereabouts of the 15-year-old who went missing in 1988, but when a man was seen acting suspiciously around the church last week, they could not believe their luck.
Cops went to speak to the man who was seen wandering around the church at 12.30pm on August 15.
As officers took his name and put it into their computer system, they found out he was being sought by other Metropolitan Police forces.
Mark Harrington, 49, of Regina Road, South Croydon, is charged with theft from a shop and was wanted to failing to attend a follow up assessment for a drug referral order made at Croydon Magistrates Court on August 24.
He is due to appear at Camberwell Green Magistrates Court on August 30.
Detective Inspector John McQuade, who is leading the investigation into Lee Boxell's disappearance said it was an unexpected bonus.
He said: "A policeman is never off duty and this just shows it. I don't think the man realised what he was walking into, I'm sure he is regretting looking around the church now."
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