Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Lawyer accused of stealing from church trust fund

A local lawyer has been arrested on the allegations that he stole nearly $140,000 from a church trust fund in his care.

Larry D. Cantrell, 65, of Riceville, was indicted last month by the McMinn County Grand Jury and arrested Monday on charges of theft of property $60,000-$250,000 and tampering with evidence.

According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), Cantrell is accused of having stolen a total of $139,325.98 from a fund designated for the Jones Chapel United Methodist Church and Cemetery that he was entrusted with overseeing. The alleged thefts reportedly took place over a seven-year period from March 2009 to September 2016.

The TBI first began investigating the issue in 2014 at the direction of then-10th Judicial District Attorney General Steve Bebb, who asked the agency to look into a suspicious matter. The investigation started on May 13, 2014, and Cantrell was indicted by the grand jury during the September 2016 session.

At some point during the course of the investigation, Cantrell allegedly falsified documents with the intent to "affect the course or outcome of the investigation."As a result, the charge of tampering with evidence was added on.

Cantrell was booked into the McMinn County Justice Center Monday and was released on $10,000 bond. His arraignment in McMinn County Criminal Court is set for Friday.

Cantrell is a longtime member of the McMinn County School Board.

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Lawyer accused of stealing from church trust fund

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