Posted on 08/19/2024 1:42:23 PM PDT by Morgana
The wife of a Southern Baptist pastor has been charged with stealing more than $400,000 from a South Carolina church and may face additional charges related to theft at other churches, police say.
Ware Shoals Police Chief Bryan Louis told The Roys Report (TRR) that Shelley Strickland, wife of Baptist Pastor Mark Strickland, confessed to stealing $404,000 from First Baptist Church of Ware Shoals, South Carolina.
Shelley Strickland worked as the financial secretary at First Baptist from 2017—2024, Louis said. However, her husband pastors First Damascus Baptist Church in nearby Bradley, South Carolina, and the couple live in the parsonage there, Louis added.
Police arrested Shelley Strickland on August 9 and charged her with breach of trust over $10,000, Louis stated. If convicted, Strickland faces up to 10 years in prison, he said.
Louis added that Strickland is suspected of stealing money from other churches within the jurisdiction of the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office, and that he expects the sheriff to file additional charges soon.
TRR called the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office for more information but did not receive a response before publication.
Police have also reported Strickland to the IRS for failing to pay taxes on the money she allegedly stole.
Louis said First Baptist Church initially became suspicious of Strickland when she resisted training someone else for her job. That’s when the church reportedly found evidence of wrongdoing.
Louis said when confronted, Strickland admitted to using First Baptist’s credit card to pay for personal vacations, cars, and restaurants. He said Strickland also would charge personal expenses to her credit card and then reimburse herself via a cash app, using church funds. He said Strickland also sent thousands of dollars of church funds via a cash app to her husband and children.
Louis said police do not have any evidence implicating Pastor Mark Strickland in his wife’s crimes.
TRR reached out to Mark Strickland and First Damascus Baptist Church for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Shelley Strickland also worked as the financial secretary at several other churches and a Baptist association in Greenwood County, South Carolina, where she’s also suspected of stealing money, Louis said. Those churches include Emerald Baptist Church, Callie Self Memorial Baptist Church, Providence Baptist Church, and the Lakelands Baptist Association.
Louis said the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the alleged crimes in its jurisdiction, and he expects additional charges to be filed any day.
According to Louis, Strickland is also suspected of stealing $14,000 from Turkey Creek Baptist Church in Abbeville County, South Carolina, but the church is not pressing charges.
TRR called the Abbeville County Sheriff’s Officer for more information but did not hear back.
Louis told TRR that Strickland is cooperating with police and has been released from custody on $10,000 bond.
A lot of people were asleep at the wheel!
Make sure she spends a few years behind bars.
What’s with all these “Church” stories popping up? I know churches have been co opted, but it is appearing to be far worse. Soon we will be back to “underground home Churches”....
“how did she steal that freaking much and NO ONE NOTICED?”
Well, three ways I can think of off the top of my head......
1. there was no comprehensive financial auditing.
2. what financial auditing there was, she was in charge of, OR
3. she paid the auditor(s) off.
PRETTY SURE MARK KNEW!
Indeed. My question exactly. The finances of that church cannot possibly have been that well off to allow for something somewhere to not crop up as a ‘suspicion’ at least.
IMO, there were more people involved with this and the cover up.
Das Feuer unt Schwefel
“What’s with all these “Church” stories popping up? “
The sites I go to have these all the time. There are just not enough hours in a day for me to post them all. Plus I have pro life stuff to post. I just post the major, far out, religion news.
This makes her husband, the Pastor, look either as dumb as a cinderblock, or as dirty as a sewer.
He had to know all those frequent Money Bombs were most likely ill gotten gains. Her actual job didn’t pay that much.
Most married people have a pretty good idea how much their spouse makes at their job.
She steals at least $400K+ and hubby didn’t know !?! 🤔
Churches are notorious for poor internal controls and inadequate segregation of duties.
I’m wondering that same thing. I can see hubby not knowing at first but after a year or two? He should have suspected something was a miss.
At 61 and a lifelong Christian, born-again at seven years old baptized at nine years old, I’ve had my ups and downs but I am absolutely done with organized religion. It’s all a big scam and big business led by narcissists
He, the ‘Reverend’ was accused of several bizarre and unsavory deeds. I think he was even jailed for a while.
Her? She always reminded me of Dolly Parton, at least from the neck up.
See my post 4
They also provide access to children and people who are gullible or needy and who may misplace their trust.
Quote:
“What’s with all these “Church” stories popping up? “
The sites I go to have these all the time. There are just not enough hours in a day for me to post them all. Plus I have pro life stuff to post. I just post the major, far out, religion news.
______________________
Great, then here are more of THOSE stories you seem to have missed:
She accused a New Orleans priest of sexual assault. The church quietly moved him out of state
After decades of being mired in an ongoing clerical molestation and cover-up scandal, the global Catholic church now clearly defines as abusers priests and deacons who sexually prey on children and adults with developmental disabilities. But the church, with rare exceptions, has generally been less willing to apply the label of abuser to priests or deacons who pursue sexual contact with people to whom they minister or over whom they hold a spiritual authority.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/19/new-orleans-priest-assault
The case of the predator priest: Abuse and scandal in the Catholic Church
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsw6vskB-2M
Investigation reveals widespread sexual abuse and cover-ups by Archdiocese of Baltimore
There is plenty more I could post. Quite likely your not using the same search terms. Try typing “Catholic church sexual abuse scandals”
I’m sure you’d find a whole lot of THOSE scandals, since THAT is what your searching for right?
I don’t usually read anything in the Guardian or PBS
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