CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — A former central Pennsylvania church treasurer will spend at least a month in prison for draining its bank account of nearly $21,000, according to court records.
At most, Sharlene Jumper, 56, of Shippensburg, was sentenced to spend close to two years Tuesday by Judge Michelle Sibert, court records show. Jumper will be eligible for parole after serving the minimum sentence of one month.
During a court hearing in March, she pleaded guilty to one felony charge of theft by unlawful taking, and another felony theft charge was dismissed, court records show.
Jumper was the treasurer for the Friends and Christ Church along Lefever Road in West Pennsboro Township when she stole from it, according to the charging documents filed by Pennsylvania State Police. She was the only person who had access to the church’s bank cards.
According to charging documents, the investigation began when the pastor alerted Troopers on Jan. 4, 2024, that the church’s bank called, saying the mortgage was three months behind and the church was in danger of foreclosure.
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Only $12 was in the church’s checking account, and $5 was in its savings, Troopers said. Jumper “guesstimated” she took $5,000, but there was supposed to be $21,194 in the account.
A meeting was going to be held among church officials to discuss the funds, and on the day of, they found a box of records with Jumper’s resignation, which said she is no longer a member of the treasurer, according to court documents.
Bank statements, Troopers say, showed purchases on Amazon Prime, and she made multiple withdrawals at a Dollar General ATM. She also wrote multiple checks out to herself.
There were payments to the Newville Municipal Water Authority, which Jumper claimed were for the church, but Troopers noted in charging documents that it is located in West Pennsboro Township.
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Jumper claimed all purchases were made for the church, but she couldn’t produce any receipts, State Police said.
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