Church Contractor Indicted

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – A South Mississippi contractor charged with false pretense in connection with a church construction project in Starkville has been indicted.

Donald Crowther, 69, of Long Beach, was indicted by an Oktibbeha County grand jury. He was served Monday and released on a $100, 000 bond.

Crowther was arrested in April in connection with an incident that occurred at Second Baptist Church.

The case stems from the stalled construction of a new sanctuary at Second Baptist.

The church broke ground in July of 2015 for a nearly two million dollar project.

The investigation began after church trustees questioned nearly $400,000 paid to the contractor.

The contractor has stopped work on the project and has reportedly not given any indication he plans to resume.