Volunteer arrested after $100K goes missing from small Kansas church, official says

A 36-year-old Garden City man has been arrested after roughly $100,000 was found missing from First Baptist Church’s bank account, Garden City police spokesperson Erinn Reyes said.

Manuel Terrazas was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of 162 counts of criminal use of a financial card and another 162 counts of theft. Terrazas was a member and volunteer at the Garden City church and had access to the church’s debit card, Reyes said, adding it’s unclear right now what was purchased with the card.

Garden City police were notified about the missing money on Jan. 31 and “learned that an individual had been using the church’s credit card,” Reyes said in a news release.

In a phone interview, Reyes said police are still trying to determine how far back the thefts occurred.

A Facebook live post from the church’s Jan. 29 service shows less than 20 people in the frame. A feed from the church’s Jan. 15 service shows a similar number with empty pews toward the back of the church.

This story was originally published February 9, 2023 at 11:54 AM.