A Magnolia-area woman and former employee at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, has been charged with theft, after officials allege she stole more than $150,000 over a three year period.

Rebekah Talley, 33, was arrested Jan. 12 after officials with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office (HCDA) filed felony charges of Aggregate Theft.

Court records state that bank records obtained by officer Dustin Deutsch of the special prosecution division of the HCDA, show that Talley deposited several forged checks from the church’s account into her personal account at First Community Credit Union.

“(Deutsch) also reviewed 26 additional forged checks written to First Community Credit Union and deposited into (Talley’s personal account),” court documents state. “All of these checks were written on the Prosperity Bank account registered to St. John Lutheran Church and were done without the knowledge or consent (of the church).”

Officials allege that Talley also created fake bank statements in order to help conceal the theft.

“During the review of the case file (Deutsch) observed that over $151,000 had been deposited into (Talley’s) account from Sept. 10, 2008 through May 12, 2011,” the court documents state.

Another employee of the church discovered several bookkeeping discrepancies and asked Talley about it last summer. Talley told her co-worker that she hadn’t noticed any errors, but later claimed she was sick and left the church with a trash bag in tow.

Talley never returned to her job at the church.

She is being held on $302,000 bond and is set for arraignment on Feb. 15.

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