No Charges Filed Against Pastor Over Bad Check

The district attorney’s office has decided there is insufficient evidence to charge a Pasadena pastor with any crime after a police investigation into whether he knowingly deposited a bad check for $87,000, authorities said Tuesday.

The Rev. William Turner became the subject of a police probe in May after he deposited the check and drew on the amount before bank officials became aware the check was counterfeit, Pasadena police said.

Turner, senior pastor at New Revelation Missionary Baptist Church, said he did nothing wrong and his church was the victim of a “con man.” In an interview in May, Turner said a man offered the church a $10,000 donation for cashing the check for him because he did not possess proper identification.

The pastor said once the bank told him the check was good he took out about $50,000 from the account in a series of increments and then gave it to the man.

A few days later, the bank told Turner the check was bad. He said he could no longer locate the man.