HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Members of a northeast Houston church say they fell victim to the same woman Eyewitness News profiled Wednesday night .

For the last two years, police say Joanna Knight has been soliciting money from people under the guise of needing a place to stay after fleeing an abusive husband.

Court records show she was already out on bond for a theft charge on Sept. 6 when Jonathan Russell said Knight approached him and his wife in Truffly Park.

"You know, you want to try and make sure that you help a person as much as you can," said Russell, a former pastor at Open Door Sanctuary Church in the Fifth Ward.

Russell said he not only gave Knight money but also recruited church members to donate.

"We gave her $180. I think altogether from the donors it was about $300 and

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