SBC Pastor Arrested, Charged With Stealing Hurricane Relief Funds From Church
A pastor has been charged with stealing thousands of dollars in funds and property from his (now former) church that was intended to go to victims of Hurricane Helene but instead reportedly went into his pockets.
Jeffrey Brian Merrow, 60, of Marion, is charged with felony embezzlement and felony larceny, according to a report from the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office published to their Facebook page:
On October 28, 2024, Deputy Alicia Lund spoke with members of a local church regarding embezzlement, fraud, and theft. Merrow, who was pastor of Garden Creek Baptist Church at that time, was named as the suspect.
During the meeting with church members, numerous receipts were presented to Lund for goods never purchased or services never rendered, all paid for using church funds. One receipt was for a claim to a local insurance company for items that were never stolen.
Church members also reported that large amounts of cash donations for hurricane relief, collected from attendees and the community, were handed to Merrow but never turned in for their intended use. Additionally, community-donated items for hurricane relief such as generators, chainsaws, heaters, and more—were reported stolen.
Reportedly, Merrow was previously convicted of theft and fraud in 2007. Furthermore, at the time of the latest charges, he was on supervised probation for “Obtaining Property by False Pretense greater than $100,000, from an unrelated incident.”
He has been released from jail after posting a $5000 secured bond.
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