MASON, Ohio -- A former employee of Mason United Methodist Church is accused of stealing between $200,000 and $300,000 from the congregation since 2001.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, a Warren County grand jury is expected to hear evidence against the woman -- who is not being named because she has not been charged -- Friday and will consider charges of aggravated theft and tampering with records.
Mason UMC Pastor Sam Stover will meet with the congregation on March 12 to explain the allegations.
Mason Detective Michael Jessee said Stover became suspicious about the church's finances after discovering some irregularities in September.
"Actually, the suspect took a day off, and the pastor needed to write a check, and it went downhill from there. He noticed a few things that didn't add up," Jessee said.
Stover and an associate pastor could not be reached by press time. But in a March 6 letter to the congregation, Stover said church officials "fully expected" that the woman would be indicted.
In the letter, Stover urged the congregation to be calm and understanding.
"These are not easy things to digest, so I request you come prayerfully and in the spirit of Christian charity as we address some difficult issues and continue to look to the future with hope and a sense of joy," he wrote.
