Former judge’s secretary charged in church theft

An Auburn woman, formerly employed by a district judge, will go before a Lee County grand jury in September after being charged with theft from a local church, District Attorney Nick Abbett said.

Wanda Clanton, 45, was charged with first-degree theft April 29, said a spokeswoman for the Alabama Bureau of Investigations, which is handling the case at the request of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. No further details were released, as the case is still under investigation.

While acting as treasurer for Loachapoka United Methodist Church, Clanton wrote $34,341.24 in checks to herself, her husband and cash between January 2004 and October 2008, according to a sworn statement attached to her arrest warrant. According to the same sworn statement, Clanton was interviewed and confessed.

At the time of her arrest, Clanton was employed as an assistant in District Judge Russell Bush’s office in the Lee County Justice Center, Abbett said. ABI took her into custody in Bush’s office, and she was transported to the Lee County Detention Facility, he said.

Clanton was released on $10,000 bond the same day, according to the detention facility.

She no longer works in the judge’s office, Abbett said.

A representative for the church and Bush both declined to comment Wednesday.