HUTCHINSON — A former South Hutchinson priest was granted probation for stealing from a local church.

Reno County District Judge Trish Rose sentenced 51-year-old Juan Garza-Gonzalez to five months in prison, but granted a one-year probation for felony theft.

Reno County Sheriff’s Office detectives determined nearly $14,000 was missing from the church.

He had been the priest at Our Lady of Guadalupe in South Hutchinson since June of 2018, but was removed after the investigation began earlier this year.