A Tyler pastor accused of stealing thousands from an elderly couple was recently indicted on more theft charges, according to court documents.

Jerome Rocky Milton, who was indicted last year on property theft between $30,000 to $150,000 against the elderly, is now facing accusations of stealing from a local nonprofit and the church where he was pastor for 32 years.

Milton, 66, was indicted on charges of money laundering and another theft of property between $30,000 and $150,000.

The Smith County grand jury indictments from June state Milton stole at least $30,000 but less than $150,000 from then-Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church and East Texas Communities Foundation in February 2017 until January 2018.

Milton also allegedly transferred the proceeds of criminal activity including theft, misapplication of fiduciary property, credit card abuse and forgery. He is accused of facilitating transactions with that money, namely by moving it between bank accounts, according to the indictment.

A Tyler police investigation showed Milton opened a bank account in 2017 under Pleasant Hill’s name. An affidavit stated the church didn’t give Milton permission to do this and was unaware of it. Police said Milton deposited two $10,000 checks to the church from the East Texas Communities Foundation; but there wasn’t any evidence that he used the money on the church’s behalf, the affidavit stated.

The checks were also signed by Milton’s former secretary, who had died earlier in the year. Either way, church officials told detectives she never had authority to sign checks or make financial decisions for the church.

Milton was first arrested on Oct. 2, less than three months after celebrating 50 years in ministry. He was charged with property theft between $2,500 and $30,000; two counts of credit/debit card abuse against the elderly; and one count of property theft between $30,000 and $150,000 against an elderly person.

In 2018, Milton retired from then-Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church (now Greater New Pleasant Hill Baptist Church) and started his own church, Open Door Bible Church in Tyler, where he is pastor.

A police document stated Pleasant Hill asked Milton that same year to leave the church because of “his handling of finances and other suspicious behavior on his part.”

Milton was arrested again in December and charged with misappropriation of between $150,000 and $300,000 of fiduciary property.

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The investigation began as Milton was helping to care for an elderly couple at church and had the power of attorney and finances for them, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. The man was bedridden, and has since died, and the woman has Alzheimer’s disease.

The couple’s son heard two church members say Milton was misusing his parents’ bank cards and getting them to sign blank checks.

According to the affidavit, the investigation showed multiple debit card transactions and ATM withdrawals from the husband’s bank card. The detective said multiple checks were written from the couple’s account to Milton and his personal and church accounts.

Milton couldn’t explain to police how the withdrawn cash was used for the couple’s benefit. He told the officer the elderly man liked to keep cash in his wallet as a reason for the cash withdrawals, the affidavit stated. The couple’s son told CBS19 that notion about his father was a lie.

Some of the checks had notes like “church donation,” “bills” and “pastor aide.” One was a $500 church tithe, but the couple told police they had never tithed that amount of money.

Milton allegedly used the money to pay for things like a loan repayment, hotel rooms, and bills. He denied these transactions when asked by detectives.

Milton has a jury trial set for Aug. 15.