Woman accused of embezzling money from North Carolina church

LEXINGTON, NC (AP) — A North Carolina sheriff’s office has accused a woman of forging checks and taking more than $150,000 from the church where she worked.

79-year-old Betty Fowler Collins of Thomasville was arrested and charged with one count of embezzlement and eight counts of forgery.

The Davidson County Sheriff’s Office says Collins is accused of forging bank checks drawn from the account of Liberty Baptist Church in Thomasville and embezzling the money from January 2009 to August 2020.

Collins served as the church’s secretary-treasurer.

She was jailed on a $25,000 bond. It’s not known if she has an attorney.