News by email Donate

Suggestions

USA News

Carolina pastor arrested for embezzling hurricane relief funds

by Lydia Davies
x.jpg - Banner image
Photo from Mcdowell County Sheriff's Office

A pastor from North Carolina has been charged with embezzlement after misappropriating funds intended for hurricane relief.

Jeffrey Brian Merrow, 60, was arrested and charged with felony embezzlement and felony larceny following a thorough investigation into his actions, according to The Christian Post

Merrow, who previously served as the pastor of Garden Creek Baptist Church, now faces legal consequences for allegedly misusing donations collected to aid victims of Hurricane Helene.

The investigation into Merrow's activities began after members of his congregation raised concerns in October, just after Hurricane Helene struck Western North Carolina.

Congregants reported instances of fraud and theft, including discrepancies in church receipts and missing donations.

The church had collected substantial amounts of cash from its members and the local community to support hurricane victims, but many of these funds were reportedly never used for their intended purpose.

Additionally, donated items such as generators, chainsaws, and heaters were reported missing.

Hurricane Helene caused extensive damage across the region, amounting to $59.6 billion (£48.2 billion) in losses and over 100 lives lost.

Unfortunately, these financial crimes are not the first for Merrow, who has a criminal history spanning nearly two decades.

He is currently serving supervised probation for a previous charge of “Obtaining Property by False Pretense greater than $100,000,” an offense unrelated to the embezzlement charges.

His criminal record includes a 2006 conviction for failing to provide receipts or contracts for sales in Iredell County and a 2021 larceny conviction in Camden County, where he received a five-year supervised probation sentence.

Merrow had also maintained a YouTube channel featuring his sermons, as well as a blog intended to offer religious insights and discussions on topics like prayer and the Ten Commandments.

However, the blog link is now inactive, and the church has since appointed Richard Anderson as the interim pastor.

Merrow no longer serves in his former role at Garden Creek Baptist Church.

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate