05-03-2025
Former north Arkansas pastor pleads guilty to stealing more than $500,000 from church
HARRISON, Ark. – A north Arkansas man pleaded guilty to stealing more than half a million dollars from a church.
According to court records, 49-year-old Brian Keith Herring pleaded guilty in Boone County on Monday to theft of property, tampering with physical evidence and second-degree forgery.
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Records state the Boone County Sheriff's Office received a report on Oct. 7, 2021, from a Harrison Faith Assembly of God Church representative about money missing from the church.
One representative from the church told police that they had found over $333,594 was missing from various church accounts and they no longer had access to the church's credit card account or the statements from the account.
On Oct. 13, 2021, prosecutors said Herring turned in a laptop, an iPad and two phones that belonged to the church, which they noted had been factory reset and all church account information had been deleted from them.
Police said an audit revealed that $524,634.24 was taken by Herring and used in credit card purchases and other account transactions.
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When authorities attempted to contact Herring at his home, they said they found it was empty and listed for sale. Authorities later contacted Herring by phone.
Herring was sentenced to serve 17 years probation for the theft of property charge and 10 years probation for the forgery charge. He is also ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution to the church and serve 800 hours of community service.
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