Last month, police charged a church employee with allegedly stealing over $10,000 from her church.
On January 12, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) arrested Sherry Rodgers Kirkland, 61, for stealing money from Amick Grove Pentecostal Holiness Church, where she worked as a secretary. Authorities charged Kirkland with breach of trust with fraudulent intent, a charge allocated to stealing a value of $10,000 or more.
A google site for the church that was last updated in 2015 lists Kirkland as the church secretary. In June 2020, a post on the church’s Facebook page congratulated Kirkland as one of its two newly elected administrative council members.
In the arrest affidavit, Special Agent Philip Turner stated as fact that Kirkland “knowingly, willingly, and without the lawful will to do so, take, steal, or convert to her ownership, more than $10,000.00 from her employer, the Amick Grove Pentecostal Holiness Church, where she held a position of trust.”
The incident occurred between January 1, 2011, and December 12, 2018.
It did not specify her role or the specific amount taken.
Kirkland was booked at the Saluda County Detention Center. According to Saluda County court records, she was released the same day after posting a $10,000 personal recognizance bond.
The 11th District Court Attorney is considering Kirkland’s case.
According to her social media, Kirkland was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, and in 2021 her husband, James “Jimmy” Kirkland, passed away.
We reached out to Amick Grove Pentecostal several times via email but have yet to receive a response.
Under South Carolina Law, Kirkland will face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if found guilty.
Main Photo: Saluda County Detention Center / Sherry Rodgers Kirkland
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