Compton Pastor, Wife Jailed
The pastor of a Compton church and his wife were arrested by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies Thursday on suspicion of trying to cash $624,000 worth of stolen and forged checks at a bank in the unincorporated Florence area of South Los Angeles.
The Rev. Ples James Jones, 64, minister of the First Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church, and his wife, Mary Oreleander Jones, 32, were taken into custody at 11 a.m. as they attempted to cash some of the checks. They were booked on suspicion of felony forgery.
The spokesman said checks found in the possession of the couple had been stolen two months ago from the offices of Landon Management Properties in Walnut.
Details of the investigation that led to the arrests and circumstances of the theft of the checks from the firm in Walnut were not disclosed. Adams said the arrests were made on the basis of information developed by members of the Sheriff’s Department forgery.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
