Morganton man accused of embezzling funds from homeless shelter

MORGANTON, N.C. — A Morganton man has been arrested and charged with embezzlement, Morganton police said. .

James Carswell is accused of embezzling $100,000 that was supposed to go to the Meeting Place charity.

The organization helps the homeless in Morganton with a men's and women's shelter.

"That stuns me. It is sickening. Because that money could go to the homeless shelter and do lots of things," said Haven Sipes, who counts on shelters for a place to live.

Carswell was charged Friday with embezzlement by a charitable employee.

Carswell is the former director of The Meeting Place, visiting churches in town to ask for donations.

"(It's) just a really big betrayal of what we thought and who we thought he was. So that's amazing," church member Sally Townsend said. "Absolutely heartbreaking."

Public safety officers believe that Carswell spent tens of thousands of dollars gambling at Harrah's Cherokee Casino over a 16-month period.

"There are several times he's been out there, and it is a significant amount of money," Morganton Public Safety Sgt. Tim Corriveau said.

Board members alerted police last summer after learning of discrepancies on bank statements.

Authorities said they conducted a four-month investigation, which led to a grand jury indictment.

Richard Church, who is homeless, hopes the case doesn't keep people from donating to charities. He said he believes that someone who steals from them should be punished.

"Put them in jail. Put them in prison and give them some time. Give them some time to let them think about what they've done to everyone out here," Church said.

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