Broken Arrow Woman Arrested For Embezzling Over $200K From Church

A woman who is charged with embezzling more than $200,000 from a Broken Arrow church was booked into the Tulsa County Jail Thursday, February 9, 2017. Candy Jean Tompkins is facing six felony embezzlement charges stemming from her position at Arrow Heights Baptist Church.

Court records show Tompkins had been embezzling funds from the church since at least 2008. Her actions were discovered when the church hired a new company to take over payroll duties. 

Pastor Roger Taylor and his office manager told investigators Tompkins used credit cards that were issued to other employees to buy supplies for the church to buy about $100,283 in personal items. Charges included concert tickets, theme park tickets, travel charges and many Amazon purchases.

The charges went unnoticed because Tompkins was responsible for paying the bills, according to an affidavit of probable cause. In addition, police say she paid her personal credit card with the church's money. That amount totaled to over $60,000.

Court documents state Tompkins embezzled tuition paid by parents whose children attending a children's ministry program to the tune of $35,619.

The 47-year-old woman also failed to withhold medical and dental insurance from her salary for several years, totaling $33,414.52, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

When police went to talk to Tompkins, she refused to meet with them. The investigator learned she was working at a roofing firm, but when he called that company, he was told she had been fired because she embezzled over $8,000 from them.