The state Superior Court on Monday upheld the dismissal of charges against a retired North Side pastor accused of stealing more than $350,000 from his church.

The Rev. Wayne C. Peck, 73, of Highland Park, was charged in 2022 with theft and receiving stolen property after he was accused of stealing from Community House First Presbyterian Church, where he was hired in 1977 and remained until March 2017.

However, in September 2023, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Kevin G. Sasinoski dismissed the case, finding that the money Peck was accused of taking was used for the church’s charity arm, the Community House. Sasinoski also ruled that the prosecution failed to present sufficient evidence to prove that the money was not to be used for that purpose, including providing food, clothing and shelter to members of the neighborhood.

In a 28-page opinion, the appellate court agreed.

“The evidence presented by the commonwealth only suggested that [Peck] should not have had access to church funds under Presbytery policies, but there was no evidence that such policies were enforced against him, much less that there was any other prohibition on his access to the money deposited into the joint account,” the opinion stated.

“There was never any criminal conduct, and we feel vindicated by this outcome,” said attorney Julia Gitelman, who represents Peck. “Our client dedicated his life to service of others, and we’re grateful that the legal process has affirmed his integrity.”

The investigation began in the fall of 2019 when representatives from the church and Pittsburgh Presbytery contacted the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office after discovering financial irregularities.

According to the criminal complaint, on the day before Peck retired, he changed authorized signers on a bank card to include only himself, his wife and a member of the board.

Then, investigators said after that, 182 checks payable to Peck were issued monthly from the Community House bank account, totaling more than $357,000.

They were deposited into two accounts used by the Pecks, including for living expenses and travel, the complaint said.

However, in May 2023, Peck filed a motion to have the charges dismissed. He alleged that the district attorney’s office failed to provide adequate evidence that the money taken by Peck was exclusively for use by the church, and that it could not be used to operate the charity arm.

Although Sasinoski initially denied the motion, he granted a renewed motion filed in August 2023 that included hundreds of pages of documentation concerning Community House’s reimbursement to Peck.

The district attorney’s office argued that the money was not Peck’s to spend, and that it was a question for a jury to decide, but both Sasinoski and the appellate court disagreed.

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