A Ragley woman who recently moved to Reno, Nevada, was arrested and extradited back to Beauregard Parish to face charges of theft from a local cemetery organization, according to authorities.

Patricia Ann Welch was booked into the Beauregard Parish Jail on Wednesday, March 2, after authorities say $30,000 was allegedly stolen from an account that Welch had overseen.

Authorities say Welch was a bookkeeper for the Magnolia Church Cemetery Board in Ragley when she alerted board members last year that money was missing from the cemetery’s bank account.

According to BPSO investigators, in March 2021, Welch informed board members that she would be relocating to Reno and needed to return the cemetery financial records that she had been in charge of back to the board. As she did so, Welch allegedly told board members that the cemetery’s Capital One Bank account had been hacked, and that about $14,000 had been stolen from it. Board members said Welch told them she closed the account to salvage the account’s remaining balance.

Authorities said that as board members began to review bank account records, they learned the account had been closed due to overdraft fees in December 2020. Board members also alleged that yearly financial records compiled by Welch had been fabricated.

Upon further investigation, authorities discovered that a total of $30,000 had been stolen from the account between March 2018 and December 2020 while the account was under Welch’s control. Investigators allege that Welch wrote checks to herself and deposited them into her personal bank account, used the cemetery board’s debit card for her personal use, and made multiple electronic transfers from the cemetery account to Welch’s personal account.

An arrest warrant was issued and Welch was arrested in Reno on Feb. 15.

Because the Beauregard Parish Jail remains closed for extensive repairs, Welch was booked into the BPSO jail and immediately transported to the Leesville City Jail for holding until such time that she is released on bond or transferred to another facility within the state.

Welch’s bond was set at $75,000.