Ponchatoula cemetery forgery investigation leads to mother’s arrest, son wanted

Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

PONCHATOULA, La. ( WGNO ) — A Tangipahoa Parish mother was arrested, and her son is wanted in connection with a forgery investigation involving a Ponchatoula cemetery.

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office reported that 62-year-old Carla Wittie was arrested on July 11, and a warrant was issued for her son, 35-year-old Christopher Wittie, after an investigation into alleged financial discrepancies and unauthorized check signings involving the management of the Sand Hill Cemetery.

TPSO officials said deputies received “complaints and reports of suspected financial mismanagement” at the cemetery in March.

During the investigation, TPSO officials said they discovered a pattern of forgery and misappropriation of funds.

TPSO investigators also said they learned Carla Wittie allegedly allowed her son to write checks on her behalf without the proper permission of the cemetery’s board of directors. According to the TPSO, more than a dozen checks were written, totaling about $2,200.

Carla Wittie faces 13 counts of principal to forgery. Christopher Wittie is wanted on 13 counts of principal to forgery and other unrelated charges.

Anyone with further information can call the TPSO Criminal Investigations Office at 985-551-0861.

Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter .

Latest Posts

• Democrats accuse Cornel West campaign of accepting illegal in-kind contributions
• 2024 Olympics: Where in the world is that? A guide to some lesser known nations represented in Paris
• Ocasio-Cortez to Musk: ‘Sometimes being quiet’ is ‘good for you’
• Chipotle CEO says company will ‘re-coach’ restaurants on proper portion sizes
• Trump to release signed photo books featuring shooting image

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGNO.