May 21, 2012
MORRISTOWN, Tenn. (WVLT) -- A $1.5 million embezzlement investigation is underway at an East Tennessee Baptist church, and a 68-year-old church employee is already facing charges in connection with the alleged theft.
First Baptist Church of Morristown's financial secretary, Barbara Whitt, is charged with theft
A marble tablet replica of the Ten Commandments stands at the entrance of the First Baptist Church of Morristown, but there's one Commandment getting special attention: Thou shalt not steal.
"Everybody is sad," First Baptist Rev. Dean Haun said. "Obviously everybody's sad, disappointed and hurt."
Haun's church is where Morristown Police say Whitt, a 47-year church employee, made off with more than $1.5 million.
"Its our belief that Barbara Whitt was altering church funds by using a church account," Morristown Police Maj. Michelle Jones said.
According to detectives, Whitt wrote more than 1,600 checks made out to herself, then cashed them at Suntrust Bank.
"The checks were in small amounts," Maj. Jones explained, "about $900 for a single check."
Reverend Haun said church members have been reeling from the news, but are offering each other, and Whitt, support.
"She's not a member here, but she's like family," He said. "Everyone loves her and still loves her, thought the world of her and trusted her."
Church officials say they've put in new internal control policies, and they do have insurance, so some of this money will be recouped.
Who is Barbara Whitt?
Whitt was a member of Grace Baptist Church, less than two miles away from the congregation she's accused of stealing from.
Rev. Todd Stinnett, Whitt's pastor at Grace Baptist, said, "(She's) very quiet, very loving. Just a caring person who helped in several different areas of our church."
Neighbor Mike Parker said, "She always went to church like clockwork. Hard to believe she done this kind of thing."
Mike Parker lives next door to Whitt and her son. He said he noticed within the last year, a number of new purchases at the home.
"Got computers, got five trucks, motorcycles, they re-did their home, they got marble," Parker said.
Parker said he and other neighbors had questions about the new purchases, but kept those questions to themselves.
When two new storage structures went up, he thought he had the answer.
"I thought they might have won the lottery, or something," Parker said. "How do you spend that much money in this economy?"
We tried to talk to Whitt as she was leaving her house today, but she refused to comment.
Her Pastor, Rev. Stinnett said members and friends can only offer forgiveness.
"It's absolutely shocking, but it's a reminder that the greatest of us can be overtaken by a trespass of sin," Stinnett said.
First Baptist Church has filed a civil lawsuit against Whitt and her son, Michael, who owns a company called Whittco in Morristown.
