The church secretary at Selma Baptist Church, Dothan, recently confessed to stealing money from the church. Charlotte M. Taylor, who is no longer employed by the church, was arrested and is now out on bond.
“It’s a crime; we love her but there are consequences for breaking the law,” said Selma Baptist Pastor Richard Sego.
According to Sego, who is in his third year as pastor of the church, this incident is the first of its kind in the more than 100-year history of Selma Baptist.
“You hear about something like this happening, and it’s always someone else’s church or business but not this time,” he said.
“We were forced to file charges for insurance purposes, and because it was the right thing to do, we felt. We don’t have a vendetta against her; we just want justice to run its course,” he said.
Taylor, who was authorized to write church checks, confessed to stealing more than $40,000 from the church and using some of it to finance a family trip to Walt Disney World, according to the Associated (AP).
“We have hope of recovering at least part of the money, but that’s tentative. We won’t really know until the courts make their decision,” he said.
Out on bond
The Dothan Police Department charged Taylor with first-degree theft property. She was released from the Dothan City Jail on a $10,000 bond, AP reported.
She stole money by forging church checks over several months for her personal expenses, which included a credit card bill she incurred while on vacation at Disney World, according to AP.
Police began investigating Taylor in November when the church finance committee noticed discrepancies in its books and other authorized signers discovered their names on checks they never signed, AP reported.
(TAB)
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