Bond lowered to $25,000 for Blaine
Lead Summary
By
Brandy Chandler-brandychandler@gmail.com
The bond has been lowered to $25,000 for a former area pastor facing a 17-count indictment of forgery and theft charges after he allegedly stole $100,000 from the Good Shepherd Church in Greenfield.
Jim Blaine was indicted by a grand jury in Highland County on May 4 and was arraigned May 10, via video from the Highland County Justice Center, in Highland County Common pleas Court before Judge Rocky Coss.
Blaine appeared with his hired attorney, Marc Ross, of Dayton. The state was represented by the Highland County Prosecutor's Office.
Ross argued that the bond, which had been at $100,000 since Blaine's arrest April 27, should be lowered. Ross said that Blaine had ties to the community, a home in Greenfield where all his possessions remain, and family members in the area. Preparing for trial, he said, would be difficult if his client were in custody. Ross also brought up two other recent defendants who went through Highland County Common Pleas Court, and noted their bond. Ross said Dennis Butler, who recently was sentenced to three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to stealing more than $200,000 from the Sugar Tree Ridge Church of Christ; and Nancy Williams who recently pleaded guilty to stealing more than $40,000 from St. Benignus Church in Greenfield. Williams had a bond of $2,500, Ross said.
Highland County Prosecutor Jim Grandey said that Blaine had said during a bankruptcy hearing in Hamilton County that his Greenfield home was about to be in foreclosure, and Grandey alleged Blaine has been living in San Antonio, Texas. Grandey said that in the Butler case, the defendant admitted his guilt from the outset and fully cooperated with police, which Blaine has not done, though Grandey noted Blaine was exercising his constitutional rights.
Ross said that Blaine was not living in Texas and did not own property there, though he did rent an apartment with his son in San Antonio. Ross said that Blaine went to Texas in February looking for work.
Coss told Ross that the previous cases regarding church theft were individual cases that had no bearing on Blaine's case, and further stated that Butler and Williams had lifelong ties to Highland County. As the purpose of bond is to ensure a defendant's presence at trial, Coss said, "a bond is necessary."
Coss set bond at $25,000, and ordered that Blaine remain on house arrest, that he pay $93 in court fees, and that he surrender his passport before he is released from custody. He was ordered to have no contact with members of the Good Shepherd Church except for family members, and that he will be under pretrial supervision.
The indictment counts involve 13 counts of forgery, each a felony of the fifth degree; one count of unauthorized use of property, a felony of the fourth degree; one count of forgery, a felony of the third degree, and two counts of aggravated theft, each a felony of the third degree.
The charges are the result of a seven-monthlong investigation by Highland County Sheriff’s Office Detectives into allegations that James A. Blaine stole money from the church, which he facilitated by forging names and documents that were then submitted to financial institutions, where Blaine obtained money in the name of the church for his personal use. The incident was alleged to take place over a period of 2004 to 2009.
According to Coss, Blaine could face six months to one year in prison on each of the forgery charges and one to five years on the theft charges.
A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for June 11 at 11 a.m., a final pretrial has been scheduled for July 21 at 1 p.m. with a trial scheduled for July 26 at 8 a.m.
The bond has been lowered to $25,000 for a former area pastor facing a 17-count indictment of forgery and theft charges after he allegedly stole $100,000 from the Good Shepherd Church in Greenfield.
Jim Blaine was indicted by a grand jury in Highland County on May 4 and was arraigned May 10, via video from the Highland County Justice Center, in Highland County Common pleas Court before Judge Rocky Coss.
Blaine appeared with his hired attorney, Marc Ross, of Dayton. The state was represented by the Highland County Prosecutor's Office.
Ross argued that the bond, which had been at $100,000 since Blaine's arrest April 27, should be lowered. Ross said that Blaine had ties to the community, a home in Greenfield where all his possessions remain, and family members in the area. Preparing for trial, he said, would be difficult if his client were in custody. Ross also brought up two other recent defendants who went through Highland County Common Pleas Court, and noted their bond. Ross said Dennis Butler, who recently was sentenced to three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to stealing more than $200,000 from the Sugar Tree Ridge Church of Christ; and Nancy Williams who recently pleaded guilty to stealing more than $40,000 from St. Benignus Church in Greenfield. Williams had a bond of $2,500, Ross said.
Highland County Prosecutor Jim Grandey said that Blaine had said during a bankruptcy hearing in Hamilton County that his Greenfield home was about to be in foreclosure, and Grandey alleged Blaine has been living in San Antonio, Texas. Grandey said that in the Butler case, the defendant admitted his guilt from the outset and fully cooperated with police, which Blaine has not done, though Grandey noted Blaine was exercising his constitutional rights.
Ross said that Blaine was not living in Texas and did not own property there, though he did rent an apartment with his son in San Antonio. Ross said that Blaine went to Texas in February looking for work.
Coss told Ross that the previous cases regarding church theft were individual cases that had no bearing on Blaine's case, and further stated that Butler and Williams had lifelong ties to Highland County. As the purpose of bond is to ensure a defendant's presence at trial, Coss said, "a bond is necessary."
Coss set bond at $25,000, and ordered that Blaine remain on house arrest, that he pay $93 in court fees, and that he surrender his passport before he is released from custody. He was ordered to have no contact with members of the Good Shepherd Church except for family members, and that he will be under pretrial supervision.
The indictment counts involve 13 counts of forgery, each a felony of the fifth degree; one count of unauthorized use of property, a felony of the fourth degree; one count of forgery, a felony of the third degree, and two counts of aggravated theft, each a felony of the third degree.
The charges are the result of a seven-monthlong investigation by Highland County Sheriff’s Office Detectives into allegations that James A. Blaine stole money from the church, which he facilitated by forging names and documents that were then submitted to financial institutions, where Blaine obtained money in the name of the church for his personal use. The incident was alleged to take place over a period of 2004 to 2009.
According to Coss, Blaine could face six months to one year in prison on each of the forgery charges and one to five years on the theft charges.
A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for June 11 at 11 a.m., a final pretrial has been scheduled for July 21 at 1 p.m. with a trial scheduled for July 26 at 8 a.m.
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