Former Kingwood Christian School manager gets probation in embezzlement in Alabama

A Shelby County judge this morning sentenced a Bessemer woman to a suspended jail term and placed her on probation for a charge accusing her of embezzling more than $63,000 from Kingwood Christian School in Alabaster.

Stacie S. Hollon, 43, pleaded guilty to the charge of first-degree theft of property during her appearance in Shelby County Circuit Court in Columbiana. Judge Dan Reeves sentenced her to three years of jail, but suspended the sentence and placed her on five years of probation.

Hollon also must pay $1,000 a month restitution to Kingwood Christian School for 36 months.

A grand jury indicted Hollon in January on a charge each of first-degree receiving stolen property and first-degree theft of property.

Hollon, formerly of Helena, was a financial manager at the school. Embezzlement charges arose after she was arrested for driving under the influence and receiving stolen property on May 31, 2011.

Her arrest warrant filed in court revealed that she had a bank bag belonging to Kingwood Christian School that contained $186 in cash and almost $3,450 in checks at the time. Court documents also stated that she took $63,452 belonging to Kingwood Christian School between Sept. 15, 2008, and May 31, 2011.

The theft of property charge to which she pleaded guilty this morning accused her of obtaining cash, checks, credit cards charges and ATM withdrawals totaling $63,452 from Kingwood Christian School between 2008 and 2011, according to the indictment.

Defense attorney John Medaris of Pelham told Reeves this morning that she diverted money belonging to the school "for her personal use."

The other charge in the indictment accused her of intentionally receiving $4,627 belonging to the school, according to the indictment. The charge claimed that she took the money "knowing that it was stolen or having reasonable grounds to believe it had been stolen and not having the intent to restore it to its owner."

The school, under Kingwood Assembly of God Inc., filed a lawsuit March 13 along with Cincinnati Insurance Company against Hollon and other unnamed individuals connected to theft from the institution. The case in Shelby County has a Nov. 25 non-jury trial date scheduled.

The church claims a loss of at least $117,032 due to the actions of Hollon and any others who may have participated in the theft, according to the lawsuit, which claims the embezzlement happened as early as June 2005.