Last Tuesday, a woman with close ties to Bienville Parish, but now residing in Shreveport, was arrested by the Bienville Parish Sheriff’s Office (BPSO) on felony theft charges.

Sandra Sanford, 51, turned herself in to the BPSO on August 27. Reportedly Sanford, who previously served as the pastor of Mill Creek Christian Center in Saline, is accused of stealing over $100K from a local timber company of out Castor, where her mother-in-law currently serves as mayor. Sanford allegedly worked as the accountant and business manager for the company.

Sanford posted a commercial bond in the amount of $25K.

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.