CAMDEN, S.C. (AP) – Kershaw County deputies say a 53-year-old church secretary stole $97,000 from a Lugoff church and spent the money on drugs.
Sheriff Jim Matthews said in a news release that Debora Barfield was arrested Monday and charged with forgery and breach of trust with fraudulent intent.
Matthews says the finance committee at St. John’s United Methodist Church called police after Barfield refused to provide documents they needed to audit the church’s accounts.
The sheriff says investigators found Barfield forged about 145 checks starting in February 2015 and spent the money buying drugs on the streets of Columbia.
Barfield was released on bail. She faces up to 20 years in prison if she is convicted on all charges. Court records did not indicate whether she has a lawyer.
