COLLAPSE OF INTERSTATE.
THE BIG QUESTION NOW, HOW DID
IT START?
AND THE DECISION THAT LIKELY
SAVED SEVERAL LIVES.
THE CHURCH WAS FLAT BROKE.
NOW DALLAS CHURCH MEMBERS
SAY THEY HAVE FIGURED OUT WHY
THEIR CHURCH WAS STRUGGLING
FINANCIALLY.
THAT'S WHERE WE BEGIN
TONIGHT.
FROM SHOPPING SPREES AND
LOCAL PURCHASES, CAR REPAIRS ON
HOTEL STAYS.
WHEN FIRST TO TELL YOU ABOUT
THE FELONY THEFT ARREST OF
DALLAS PASTOR RAY DAVIS.
NOW WE LEARN HE'S ACCUSED OF
POCKETING HALF $1 MILLION OF
THE CHURCH'S MONEY.
WE START OUT LIKE THAT MONGER
AVENUE, BAPTIST CHURCH WERE
MEMBERS ARE SPEAKING OUT.
FROM THIS HISTORICAL MARKER,
YOU CAN SEE THIS CHURCH IS 123
YEARS OLD.
BUT JUST IN THE LAST YEAR THE
CHURCH'S PASTOR HAS BEEN
ACCUSED OF EMBEZZLING OVER HALF
MILLION DOLLARS, AND LOCKING
OUT LIFELONG MEMBERS FROM THE
BUILDING, WHO STARTED ASKING
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CHURCH'S
FINANCES.
WE CAN'T EVEN GET IN, IT'S
LOT.
THAT'S NOT MY CHURCH.
ERICKA WILLIAMS SAYS THE
LOCKS WERE CHANGED ON THE DOORS
TO MONGER AVENUE APT DISTRICT
REMEMBER STARTED LOOKING TO WHY
THE 123-YEAR-OLD HOUSE OF
WORSHIP WAS RUNNING OUT OF
MONEY.
THE CHURCH WAS FLAT BROKE.
LONGTIME MEMBER RICHARD
GREGOR EXAMINED FINANCIALS
INSIDE THE HISTORICALLY BLACK
CHURCH LAST YEAR, AND SAYS WHAT
HE FOUND WAS UNIMAGINABLE.
THERE WERE LIQUOR PURCHASES
AND IN TOWN HOTEL STAYS AND
SHOPPING SPREES.
GREGOR AND AUTHORITIES
ACCUSE PASTOR RAY DAVIS OF
FUNNELING AS MUCH IS $500,000
TO PERSONAL FROM A CHURCH
ANNUITY FUND HE WAS NOT
SUPPOSED OF ACCESS TO.
IT WAS INDICTED LAST WEEK FOR
FELONY THEFT AND HAS BEEN
RELEASED ON A $10,000 BOND.
IT WAS LIKE A GUT PUNCH.
IT WAS ABSOLUTELY HEART-
WRENCHING.
WILLIAMS SAYS THAT THE PLEA
TO FUND WAS MEANT FOR REPAIRS
TO THE CHURCH AND PROGRAMS TO
HELP ADDICTS AND THE NEEDY.
BUT A YEAR BEFORE HIS ARREST,
DAVIS, WHO WAS HIRED IN 1998
DENIED THE ALLEGATION IN A
LETTER TO THE COMP --
CONGREGATION SAYING I'M NOT
COMMITTED ANY CRIME AND I HAVE
NOT COMMITTED ANY LAWS.
MEMBER SAID THE PASTOR MOVED
INTO THE CHURCH AND CHANGE THE
LOCKS TO DRIVEWAYS CRITICS WHO
HAD BEEN MEETING FOR MONTHS AT
A FUNERAL HOME, WHILE DAVIS WAS
STILL PREACHING HERE LAST SUNDAY
TO A HANDFUL OF LOYAL
SUPPORTERS.
BUT HE FACES A CIVIL LAWSUIT
FROM THOSE LONGTIME MEMBERS WHO
WANT TO DRIVE HIM FROM THE
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