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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Admitted church thieves Keith and Cherie White made a push for a probationary sentence Friday behind claims that jail time would prevent them from caring for their developmentally disabled children, court documents said.</p><p>The husband and wife, who each sat on the board of directors at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Kingston, were charged in October with pilfering more than $174,000 over the course of several years. The Kingston couple cut themselves extra paychecks, stole from the collection plate, and racked up thousands of dollars at restaurants and retailers using a church-issued debit card, police said.</p><p>Keith White, the former board president, 52, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/654572/pastor-pleased-husband-and-wife-church-thieves-admit-guilt-but-uphill-battle-remains" target="_blank">pleaded guilty in April</a> to conspiracy to commit theft and device fraud. Cherie White, the one-time secretary, 44, pleaded guilty to theft by unlawful taking and access device fraud. The plea deal struck in the case saw remaining charges dropped and called for the couple to pay $174,482 in restitution.</p><p>They each face six to 14 months in prison at sentencing Tuesday.</p><p>But in a motion filed Friday, the couple claimed prison terms would keep them from taking care of their children, a 10-year-old and 13-year-old who each have developmental disabilities and require &#8220;considerable treatment and supervision to aid their intellectual and social development.&#8221;</p><p>Additionally, Cherie White receives treatment for depression and anxiety, and a prison sentence would disrupt her treatment and &#8220;exasperate her mental health issues,&#8221; the motion said.</p><p>The Whites have no prior criminal records and have accepted responsibility for their crimes, said the motion. It was filed by the couple&#8217;s attorney, Peter John Moses. If the couple does receive jail time, Moses asked the court to allow them to alternate scheduled furloughs so they can supervise their children.</p><p>The church&#8217;s pastor, the Rev. Paul Metzloff, said Friday he preferred not to comment until after sentencing. He noted upwards of 50 members of the congregation are expected to attend the hearing to &#8220;encourage a just sentence.&#8221; Many penned victim impact statements to the judge, he added.</p><p>Nearly a century old, the church narrowly avoided having to close its doors for good due to the crime.</p><p>Outlined in charging documents are dozens of purchases investigators flagged as questionable or partially unlawful dating to 2009, including several thousand dollars of transactions at local grocery stores, retailers, and fast food restaurants, as well as $18,485 in cash withdrawals and $2,168 taken from church offerings.</p><p>The church, which opened in 1920, would have gone under financially had the theft not been caught when it was, Metzloff said, noting the congregation must still deal with thousands of dollars in fines and penalties associated with back taxes and insurance lapses.</p><p>&#8220;It would have killed our congregation if it had gone on another year,&#8221; he said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Keith White and Cherie White arrive at a district judge&#8217;s office last fall for their preliminary arraignment on theft charges. The couple is now arguing against a prison sentence. They claim they have children with developmental disabilities who require constant care. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Exhtortion-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Keith White and Cherie White arrive at a district judge&#8217;s office last fall for their preliminary arraignment on theft charges. The couple is now arguing against a prison sentence. They claim they have children with developmental disabilities who require constant care. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Husband, wife say they need to care for children</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Couple who pilfered $174K from Kingston church pushes for probation