BEAVERTON, Ore. (AP) – The former director of operations at a Baptist church in Beaverton has denied stealing $70,000 from the church.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that 54-year-old Scott Edward Moore pleaded not guilty Tuesday to seven felony counts of aggravated theft in Washington County Circuit Court.
Village Baptist Church in Beaverton says Moore had been a 20-year employee who left for a new job in March.
Moore is out on bail. His next court date is Aug. 20.
Ben Spotts with Village Baptist Church provided KOIN 6 News with the following statement:
“Village Baptist Church confirms that Scott Moore, a former church employee, voluntarily turned himself in on July 31, 2018, to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Following an investigation by the Washington County District Attorney’s office, he was arrested and charged with seven counts of aggravated theft Moore, who was the church’s former Director of Operations, was indicted for embezzling a significant amount of money from the church. Additionally, Moore, who worked for the church for about 20 years, confessed to the crime in early July. He had left the church for other employment in March, 2018. Village Baptist Church is deeply saddened by this situation and believes this was an isolated situation. We are actively reviewing our internal financial and operational processes to prevent something like this from happening again. We continue to work with local authorities.”