HARRISBURG — The former treasurer of a 261-congregation Lutheran church synod was charged Thursday with embezzling more than $1 million in an alleged scheme to buy classic automobiles.

Barry R. Herr, 61, was charged by Lower Paxton Township Police with 36 counts of criminal use of a communication facility and one count of theft by deception. Police said he made online credit card payments with stolen funds.

Herr served for 28 years as treasurer of the Harrisburg-based Lower Susquehanna Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which has 122,000 members in nine south-central Pennsylvania counties. Authorities allege that the scheme dates back to 1991.

Lt. Dave Hogentogler said Herr set up a bogus checking account called "Cardinal Investments" to write checks for his own purposes, largely to buy and restore foreign-made classic cars. He bought and sold numerous vehicles, and police linked three that he currently owns to the alleged scheme.

The loss became known after the church suspected problems and ordered an audit.

GRINDSTONE, Pa. — State police say they found three dogs hanging and burned over a pile of burning tires in Fayette County.Police say the dogs were found about 5 a.m. Thursday in Redstone Township hanging by ropes from a tree.Theresa Linden, manager with the Fayette County Humane Society, says officials don't know if the dogs were alive when they were hanged.Linden says authorities also found the image of a pentagram on the ground, a five-pointed star commonly associated with Satanism.The back of one dog was burned off. Another had puncture wounds to its neck.Authorities believe more than one person was involved because the dogs were heavy.

MONROEVILLE — Police say three Gateway Middle School students will be charged in juvenile Court with compiling three "hit lists."Police are not identifying the students or their ages because juvenile court cases are generally not public.Monroeville Police Chief George Polnar says the students didn't have immediate access to weapons and none of the students physically assaulted anybody listed.The longest list contained 58 names including a couple of teachers. Polnar says one list said, "These people need to be killed."

PITTSBURGH — A former Woodland Hills High School football star will spend 5 to 10 years in prison for robbing a former school acquaintance.Delvante Thompson, 20, received the mandatory minimum 5-year sentence for using a gun during the robbery in Swissvale in November 2006.An Allegheny County jury convicted Thompson of pointing a pistol at and robbing a man he recognized from high school as the man sat in his parked car.