Indictment: St. Albert church worker embezzled $45K in Ohio

Stacy Bowling, 40, of Dayton, was indicted Wednesday in Montgomery County for grand theft for stealing money from her employer, a church.

Between July 2014 and October 2015, Bowling allegedly stole approximately $45,000 from St. Albert the Great Catholic Church in Kettering.

Bowling was employed by the church as the cafeteria manager and was in charge of that business account. She reportedly wrote checks and made debit card purchases from the church’s cafeteria account for her personal use.

If convicted, Bowling could face up to 18 months in prison.

“This defendant abused the trust the church gave her to support her lifestyle,” said Prosecutor Mat Heck in a release. “Stealing from a non‐profit hurts the victim not only financially, but it can create distrust in the members of the parish that their donations are being protected.”

Bowling is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 2.

UPDATE @ 12:43 p.m. (Nov. 10, 2015)

Chris Worland, the new pastor at St. Albert the Great Parish, informed parishioners earlier this month of an audit that revealed “irregularities” in the Cafeteria Consortium account, which pays for meals to 11 schools in the Dayton area.

The Cafeteria Consortium requires a bank account that’s separate from the parish operations because it includes state and federal grants, Worland wrote Nov. 1 in the church bulletin.

“It appears these irregularities occurred within the last 15 months,” Worland’s bulletin reads. “Because the Cafeteria Consortium operates within the purview of St. Albert the Great, I have a responsibility to be transparent about these findings. However, because there is an on-going investigation, I cannot provide more details at this time.”

UPDATE @ 11:50 a.m. (Nov. 10, 2015)

The case against a Kettering woman accused of stealing money from St. Albert the Great Catholic Parish will be presented to a grand jury, the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office announced today.

The allegations against 39-year-old Stacy Bowling are being investigated, but there are no formal charges filed at this point, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Kettering police announced Bowling’s arrest on Monday, alleging she stole $45,000 from a business account she was managing at St. Albert the Great Catholic Parish on Far Hills Avenue.

FIRST REPORT (Nov. 9, 2015)

A Kettering woman has been arrested on charges accusing her of stealing more than $45,000 from St. Albert the Great Catholic Parish.

Kettering police said Monday that Stacy Bowling, 39, was in charge of a business account at the church, 3033 Far Hills Ave., and wrote checks and made debit purchases for personal reasons.

We’re working to learn more about this case and will update this story as details are released.