Doug Porter, pastor accused of murder, begins testifying

By SUSAN HERENDEEN , sherendeen@modbee.com

last updated: July 21, 2008 05:20:11 PM

After listening to 25 days of testimony, including sinister allegations that painted him as a murderer, former pastor Howard "Doug" Porter took the witness stand in Stanislaus County Superior Court, swore to tell the truth and began to answer questions.

Most of Porter's testimony this morning revolved around an agricultural museum elderly rancher Frank Craig wanted to build, with Porter recounting his initial reluctance to get involved and the eventual realization that money Craig inherited from a brother would not stretch far enough.

Porter, 57, of La Grange was poised and articulate as he answered questions posed by defense attorney Kirk McAllister, often gesturing with his hands as he recalled details for 12 jurors who will decide his fate.

He is accused of embezzling $1.1 million from Craig, then staging two truck collisions to cover his tracks. Craig was crippled in a 2002 wreck and drowned in a 2004 wreck. The trial began with jury selection May 12 and is heading toward a conclusion.

Although Craig wanted a museum of adobe brick, with a copper roof, church officials were only interested if the project also provided room for a century-old parish that was bursting at the seams and holding four sermons on Sundays.

The board of elders agreed to a $3 million plan that called for a multipurpose building which would have a sanctuary that could double as a community meeting room as well as an exhibit hall for antique farm equipment Craig collected over decades.

Porter said Craig was intimately involved in the planning process, and posted an article about the project, published in March 2000 by the Waterford News, on the wall in his kitchen.

"I had conversations with Mr. Craig five days a week about this," Porter said.

In June and July, prosecutors showed the jury numerous checks Porter drew on accounts set up with Craig's money. Much of the money was spent on improvements to a four-home complex surrounding a pond, where Porter lived with his wife and other relatives.

The defense showed a series of checks Porter signed to cover legitimate expenses, like architectural renderings of the project, engineering work, improvements at the church and the purchase of land behind the church where the museum would have been built.

Porter said also he got Craig's permission for some personal expenses, including a loan to his son Aaron Porter, to move a farmhouse from Turlock to the family compound in La Grange. The loan was repaid, according to previous testimony.

Porter said he paid his credit card bills with Craig's money, adding that those bills were for expenses he incurred while caring for Craig or traveling with Craig, who loved museums and wanted to retrace the path he traveled as an airplane mechanic during World War II.

Porter and Craig took a six-week trip to England, Europe and Scandinavia. They also traveled up and down the West Coast, went to Arkansas and Mississippi, and took several journeys to Mexico.

"I didn't use the credit card for myself," Porter said. "It was for me and Mr. Craig and the business we did."

McAllister showed the jury numerous photos taken during Craig and Porter's travels. And Porter said he came to believe that Craig was as interested in a friendship as the museum.

Explanations about the two wrecks - and a cross examination - are yet to come. The trial resumes this afternoon.

To comment, click on the link with this story at www.modbee.com. Bee staff writer Susan Herendeen can be reached at sherendeen@modbee.com or 578-2338.

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