'An ugly crime.' Dover woman gets jail time for taking nearly $200K from Strasburg church

Nancy Molnar, The Times-Reporter
·5 min read
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NEW PHILADELPHIA ‒ A Dover woman who stole $196,422 from St. John United Church of Christ in Strasburg has been sentenced to 90 days in jail.

Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Judge Elizabeth Lehigh Thomakos also ordered former church office manager Jodi A. Davis to pay $30,924 in restitution and spend five years on probation.

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The judge noted that the amount of restitution requested was far below the amount stolen because insurance covered most of the loss.

Thomakos reserved a three-year prison sentence, which Davis could be forced to serve if she fails to follow terms of probation. Terms include no use of alcohol or drugs of abuse, and maintaining or obtaining employment to make monthly restitution payments. Davis must pay court costs.

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Davis, 57, was in charge of all secretarial and financial duties at the church, according to congregant Kathy Osler, who coordinated the five-member team of church members who volunteered to investigate the theft.

"The church realizes that we trusted but failed to verify," Osler said. She noted the church has developed new safeguards.

How did Jodi Davis steal from St. John United?

She said Davis made unauthorized purchases for personal use from 16 online and in-store merchants, including $55,680 worth of gift cards, two storage barns and 20 phone cases. She used the tax exemption number of the church to avoid paying sales tax.

The total church budget for 2022 was less than the amount Davis embezzled, Osler said. She said many members are elderly and on fixed incomes.

Osler gave a detailed account of the negative impact the crime had on the church, including:

  • Maintenance and capital projects were delayed.

  • Fundraisers were needed to finance special projects or repairs, such as replacement of the front door.

  • The credit rating of the church suffered because some card balances were large and were not paid timely.

  • Employees, including the pastor, went without deserved raises because of a shortage of funds.

  • Davis stole money from an insurance settlement for a roof replacement necessitated by a 2016 hailstorm. A church member made a special contribution of $10,000 to allow the church to cover its bills.

  • Emotional distress for church members and employees.

  • The investigative team, all retirees, worked 22 months to uncover the extent of the theft. They worked full time for the first 10 months.

"The work of investigating this crime was grueling," Osler said. "It was exhausting physically, mentally and emotionally. There were many times that we wanted to quit, but that was never an option. We felt like we were incarcerated for at least 10 months."

Jodi Davis' attorney gives her side

Defense attorneyReid Yoder said Davis initially stole to support her family in 2009 after her husband lost his job. He said she intended to repay the church.

He asked that Davis be sentenced to house arrest because incarceration would cost her the job she needs to keep paying restitution. He said Davis suffers from anxiety and depression and had suicidal thoughts after her crime was discovered.

"She also has been in a living hell and a nightmare since this has happened," the Akron defense attorney said. "It's an ugly crime, judge, stealing from the church."

Thomakos said Davis had other options.

"Over 300 people lined at the food bank last week and received enough food," Thomakos said. "You don't have to steal from the church to get food in this community because there are even more generous people outside of that one church who are supporting the food bank. Many churches help people with utility bills from time to time, or other needs. So there are resources out there."

Given the chance to speak on her own behalf, Davis sobbed before making her statement.

"I am so very sorry and devastated by what I have done," she said. "This is not who I am. I was raised better and I know better. I want to get myself back and to be the person I know I really am."

Thomakos said she was not surprised the Davis suffered from anxiety and depression after hiding her deception through "manipulative conduct" for 12 years.

In her statement, Osler said that whenever anyone in the church started asking "too many" questions about finances, Davis tried to get that person removed from the position. She asked to get an accountant off the finance committee, saying he gave her the "creeps," Osler said. She said Davis never fully cooperated with a former church council treasurer who continually asked questions about finances and asked to see bank statements.

"Instead, she contacted the current church council president and threatened to quit if they didn’t stop this person from harassing her," Osler said. "That should have been a sign to all of us that something wasn’t right, but most people just thought it was a personality conflict."

The thefts occurred between Sept. 30, 2009, and March 19, 2021.

"People gave that money to the church for its mission," Assistant County Prosecutor Scott Deedrick said. "The church does a tremendous amount of good in Strasburg and even some of the surrounding areas. That money wasn't available."

Reach Nancy at 330-364-8402 or nancy.molnar@timesreporter.com.

On Twitter: @nmolnarTR

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Defense: Woman stole from church after husband lost job