The Okemos priest accused of embezzlement is in court Friday for a preliminary examination. A detective working on the case will be testifying.
Jonathan Wehrle, Reverend of St. Martha Parish, was charged with embezzlement over $100,000 and the accusations date back to 2012 and include millions of dollars.
Investigators say Wehrle was writing parish checks for personal expenses. Checks totaling more than $1.85 million were used for building his personal residence. The audit showed more than $140 thousand in parish funds spent for his home last year alone..
The investigation came after a routine financial audit by the Catholic Diocese of Lansing.