Usher Allegedly Embezzles From Charlotte’s Largest Catholic Parish

Eddie Murphy used to have a bit in a standup routine about deeds one could do if you wanted to go to Hell and not have to stand in line.  I can't remember if this one was on the list.  If not, it should be.  An usher has been accused of embezzling from Charlotte, North Carolina's largest Catholic parish.

Oscar Emmanuel Ehighalua is now facing three embezzlement charges, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.  This usher has been accused of embezzling $100 Sunday, March 3, and another $100 the following Sunday (March 10).  Then, Sunday March 17, Ehighalua walked away with $3500 from St. Matthew Catholic Church.  This is the largest Catholic congregation in Charlotte.

A member of St. Matthew tells WSOC-TV, ″I hope that they can still have funds to reach out into the community and to help feed the community and clothe the community and spread God’s love to everyone, tell them they are cared for and they are loved no matter what’s going on.  We are going to get through this. God is going to help us and this is not going to stop us.”   We all hope that Charlotte's largest Catholic church will not be hindered in their efforts by an usher accused of embezzling.

St. Matthew discovered the financial discrepancy when the church's accounting team went to total the collections and discovered one of their bank deposit bags was unaccounted for.  Ehighalua, is the parish's usher accused of embezzling.  According to his arrest affidavit, he was caught taking the money from the offering collection instead of storing it in a prescribed safe.

Representatives from St. Matthew will not have further comment on their usher accused of embezzling offering funds while this is an ongoing CMPD investigation but will further elaborate on the incident once it is complete.  No further charges will be filed at this time.

I'm all about personal safety. As a woman, there are just certain things I won't do. Things like pumping gas at night, rolling my window down in my car for any reason other than a drive-thru, or engaging with anyone I don't know who approaches me in places like a parking lot. Most apartment complexes won't rent first-floor apartments to women either. These are just some things guys don't have to worry about. And I wish I didn't either. But unfortunately, the world we live in makes women have to be super vigilant and aware of our surroundings. My personal safety just takes priority as it should for everyone. Even though most of the Carolinas are fairly safe, bad things can happen anywhere. But there are some places where crime is more common than others. So what are the most dangerous cities in North Carolina?

NeighborhoodScout conducted the research to answer that question. And it may not be the answer you are expecting. Their research highlighted the 100 most dangerous cities in America. These are cities with a population of 25,000 or more people. And the rankings are based on the number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents.  For the purpose of this list Neighborhood Scout considers violent crimes to be rape, armed robbery, and aggravated assault.  According to their methodology, "the data used for this research are the number of violent crimes reported to have occurred in each city, and the population of each city."

A total of 9 Carolina cities made this list. With 5 of the most dangerous cities being in North Carolina, while 4 were in South Carolina. The most dangerous city in the US overall? That was Bessemer Alabama, followed by Monroe, Louisiana. You can read the full list via Neighborhood Scout here or keep reading to see the North Carolina cities that made the list.

The Triad's Winston-Salem is the most dangerous city in North Carolina. Here there is a violent crime rate of 11.4 (per 1,000 residents) and a 1 in 87 chance of being a victim.

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Only two spots behind Winston-Salem is a city not too far away- Statesville. This Iredell county city has a violent crime rate of 11.2  and a 1 in 87 chance of being a victim.

We have to skip a few spots down the list to find the next NC city named one of the most dangerous- Fayetteville. They are doing better with just a 1 in 103 chance of being a victim and a violent crime rate of 9.7.

Three spots down from Fayetteville is Goldsboro. Goldboro brings to the table the same 1 in 103 chance of being a victim. The city barely beats Fayetteville though with an 8.6 violent crime rate.

Rocky Mount you almost squeaked by without making the list. You were so close. Your 1 in 107 chance of being a victim and 9.3 violent crime rate make you the best of the worst in North Carolina.