ATHENS, Tenn. (ABP) — Any Baptist pastor will tell you that deacons' meetings can sometimes get hairy, but this one has to take the cake.
A man who robbed deacons at a small-town Tennessee March 12 is in custody now after making good on his word to return the day after the robbery.
Allegedly wearing a knit mask and wielding a silver pistol, Billy Croft interrupted 21 laypeople and staff members during a monthly diaconate meeting at First Baptist Church of Athens, Tenn. After telling everyone to get on the floor and saying he was hungry and needed $100 in cash, Croft made off with $120 and a promise to return to the church the next day. He had said he would talk to them if they agreed not to report the robbery to police.
Apparently Croft's word is his bond. He returned to March 13 and was subsequently arrested in the parking lot.
Croft, 47, returned because he wanted to talk more with the deacons, pastor Mike Womack said. During the initial robbery, Womack had asked if he could pray for him, and Croft agreed to it.
“I prayed for God's convicting power to come over him,” Womack said, adding that he had told Croft he could return without risking arrest.
“We were all afraid,” Womack said. “It was an intense 15 minutes.”
But not everyone had the same thing in mind. After Croft left, the deacons debated the ethical implications of not reporting the robbery. Womack said he and two deacons decided to relate the hold-up to retired assistant district attorney Richard Newman, who reported the incident to the police.
Police were positioned at the church when Croft returned the next afternoon.
Womack said he felt bad about the apparent violation of his promise to Croft, but he said he didn't know Newman had gone to police. And he has met with Croft since his arrest.
“He was not angry with me at the time of the arrest or later when I visited him in jail,” Womack said.
Athens police charged Croft with one count of aggravated robbery.
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— Hannah Elliott contributed to this story.