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A former church treasurer from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to stealing nearly $21,000 from the Friends and Christ Church in West Pennsboro Township. Sharlene Jumper, 56, of Shippensburg, admitted to the theft and was sentenced on Tuesday (June 2) to nearly two years in prison. However, she will be eligible for parole after serving one month.
The investigation began in January 2024 when the church's pastor alerted authorities that the church was three months behind on its mortgage, putting it in danger of foreclosure. According to court records, only $12 remained in the church’s checking account, and $5 in its savings. Jumper was the sole person with access to the church’s bank cards and "guesstimated" she had taken $5,000, though $21,194 was missing.
Court documents revealed that Jumper used church funds for personal purchases on Amazon Prime and made multiple withdrawals at a Dollar General ATM. She also wrote checks to herself and claimed that payments to the Newville Municipal Water Authority were for the church, though they were not substantiated with receipts.
Jumper pleaded guilty to one felony charge of theft by unlawful taking, while another theft charge was dismissed. Her sentencing was presided over by Judge Michelle Sibert. The case highlights the importance of financial oversight in church operations to prevent similar incidents.