A Bangor woman has been charged with stealing nearly $7,000 from the collection plates at Columbia Street Baptist Church.
Brenda Dresser, 65, made her first appearance Wednesday on the Class C charge of theft by unauthorized taking at the Penobscot Judicial Center, according to the district attorney’s office.
She was not asked to enter a plea because she has not yet been indicted by a Penobscot County grand jury. Dresser was not required to post bail.
Dresser allegedly stole about $6,800 between 2016 and Easter 2018 while counting money and checks placed in collection plates during Sunday services, District Attorney-elect Marianne Lynch said Thursday.
Lynch, who knows Dresser through local community theater groups, said Suzanne Russell will prosecute the case.
Church officials became suspicious of Dresser when a longtime member said the amount of money the church recorded as him donating did not match his own calculations. As with many houses of worship, Columbia Street Baptist sends out annual letters listing members’ annual contributions for tax purposes. The IRS considers such donations tax deductible.
The church allegedly caught Dresser on camera taking money while handling donations this year after the Easter Sunday service on April 11.
Efforts to reach church officials late Wednesday and early Thursday were unsuccessful.
Dresser is next due in court on Feb. 12.
If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000 and could be ordered to pay restitution.