Man accused of stealing from church is elected to office

Man accused of stealing from church is elected to office

File photo shows Art Nelson when he was arrested.

Tools

Story Published: Nov 28, 2007 at 12:12 AM PST

Story Updated: Nov 28, 2007 at 12:22 AM PST

By Nick Winkler and KATU Web Staff

Video

BATTLE GROUND, Wash. - A man accused of stealing thousands of dollars from his church has been elected to office in Battle Ground.

Art Nelson faces 12 counts of theft and will go to trial on Dec. 19. Members of Grace Fellowship in Ridgefield, where Nelson was a deacon, claim he wrote himself thousands of dollars worth of checks that were actually meant for charity.

On Tuesday, the final election results were tallied and Nelson came out on top in his bid for a seat on the Battle Ground City Council over competitor Tom Schultz.

KATU News called Nelson and told him he had won the election, but he refused to speak to us. He claims we are biased and have never asked him for his side of the story, even though he does admit that we have called and stopped by his home multiple times.

If Nelson is convicted of a felony, he cannot hold office.

Weather & Traffic

Icon
Current Temp 49.0 °F
Mostly Cloudy
Video
More Weather
New:

Upload directly from your mobile device.

Learn how

Stay Connected

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.

Viewer Poll

Have you been able to beat a traffic ticket in court?
Read more about it here

  • Yes, I was found "Not Guilty!"
  • Yes, the fine was reduced.
  • No, but I've tried.
  • No need; I'd probably lose anyhow....
  • No need; no tickets for me!
  • Other