Caledonia Argus

Woman faces charges of stealing from church

Posted: 6/17/03

by Andrew Miller
Argus News Reporter

A woman accused of stealing over $35,000 from the Sunday offerings at St. Maryís Church has been charged with five counts of theft.

Julie Wittry, 40, Caledonia, faces 40 years imprisonment and/or $80,000 in fines if convicted.

The charges stem from an investigation conducted by Caledonia Police and the Houston County Sheriffís Office in September 2002. St. Maryís Church had reported an ongoing problem of theft within the staff that handled money. After a review of bank records, Wittry emerged as a suspect.

Wittryís duties at the church included the counting of church collections, preparation of deposits, and the entry of deposit amounts into the churchís computer files. It was in the course of these activities that authorities believed funds were being taken, so a surveillance camera was installed in the St. Maryís Church office, and during Labor Day weekend of 2002, a preliminary count of the currency from the Sunday offering was conducted, and several pieces of the currency were marked with ink invisible to the naked eye, but visible under a black light.

On Tuesday, September 3, St. Maryís staff conducted its customary accounting of the offerings received during the weekend masses. Shortly thereafter, a church official contacted Caledonia Police to report a shortage in the deposit of approximately $100. As Wittry was leaving the church, a traffic stop was initiated, and Wittry agreed to go to Caledonia Police Headquarters to be interviewed.

According to police, currency from Wittryís purse, which sheíd consented to be searched, was placed under a black light at headquarters, and showed the markings made with the invisible ink. Police say Wittry admitted stealing funds from St. Maryís since June 2002, and she indicated that she had taken $60-80 most weeks.

A review of the surveillance tape the next day showed Wittry taking a stack of currency, but also showed her taking offering envelopes and placing them in her shoe. On September 9, a second police interview was conducted, and police say Wittry admitted taking money not just from loose offerings, but also from offerings in envelopes. She further indicated that sheíd been taking $200-400 each week since February 2001.

St. Maryís keeps records of individualsí offerings received in envelopes, and Wittry stated that sheíd made entries into the church computer so that individual parishioners received credit for their contributions in the churchís financial records.

Church officials told authorities that Wittry made virtually all of the contribution entries into the churchís computer. A review of those records showed that, between June 2000 and July 2002, 431 entries totalling $35,330 were credited to individual parishionerís accounts for which the corresponding funds were not received by the church.

Wittryís first court appearance is on July 7 at 4p.m. in the Houston County Courthouse.

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