WNDU
PLYMOUTH — A Marshall County pastor has been arrested after a police investigation revealed he was misappropriating church funds for his own personal use.
Darek Morris, 34, of Walkerton, turned himself in on Friday after a warrant was issued for his arrest for the crime of theft exceeding $50,000.
According to the Marshall County Sheriff, a Plymouth Community Church representative contacted authorities about the theft after the discovery of funds missing from the church account, beginning in January 2020 up until July 2022.
It was determined that Morris had been transferring additional funds from the church account to pay his own personal credit card balances, as well as taking additional money over his salary.
It is estimated that Morris took a total of $100,944 in funds on top of his agreed-upon salary and $57,376 in transactions paid from the church account directly to credit cards in his name.
Police say that during an interview, Morris admitted to the theft and took responsibility for his actions.
Morris was given a cash bond of $10,000.
