Blaine pleads guilty to theft, forgery charges WATCH THE VIDEO
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Brandy Chandler-brandychandler@gmail.com
Former Greenfield pastor Jim Blaine pleaded guilty to counts of forgery and aggravated theft from the Good Shepherd Church in Greenfield Wednesday in Highland County Common Pleas Court. The state of Ohio has recommended he be sentenced to three years in prison and that he make full restitution, which was estimated that it could be between $200,000 and $250,000.
Blaine was scheduled to be in court for an evidentiary hearing to challenge search warrants that were executed in the investigation by the Highland County Sheriff's Office. Blaine was scheduled to go to trial later this month.
Judge Rocky Coss questioned Blaine for several minutes, asking him if he understood the proceedings and informed him of certain rights he was giving up by pleading guilty, including the right to a jury trial. Blaine said he understood, and pleaded guilty to one count of forgery, a felony of the fifth degree, and aggravated theft, a felony of the third degree. The theft charge alleged that Blaine had stolen more than $100,000 from the church. The remaining charges on the 17-count indictment were dismissed.
Blaine was formerly a pastor of the Good Shepherd Church in Greenfield. Highland County Prosecutor Jim Grandey said that the church had been informed of the plea agreement. At least one church member was present during the hearing, and addressed Judge Coss. That church member said one of dismissed forgery counts regarded his signature, but for the most part he was OK with the plea.
The court accepted Blaine's plea, and agreed to a presentence investigation. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 1.
The state, represented by Highland County Prosecutor Jim Grandey and assistant prosecutor David Henry, recommended Blaine be sentenced to eight months in prison on the forgery charge and to thre e years in prison on the theft charge. The state noted it would not oppose judicial release, and recommended he make full restitution.
Coss told Blaine that just because the state is not opposed to judicial release does not mean that he would grant it, and that is a determination that only Coss makes.
Blaine was represented in court by privately retained attorneys Marc Ross and Scott Colaway.
Det. Danny Croy and Det. Denny Kirk of the Highland County Sheriff's Office were also in court.
Coss continued bond and house arrest for Blaine until the sentencing hearing, and told Blaine that his determination on sentencing will in part be based on how well Blaine does on house arrest between now and sentencing.
Following the hearing, Grandey told The Highland County Press that his office was pleased with the outcome of the case. Grandey said that a hearing will have to be held regarding how much restitution Blaine will have to pay, but his office will allege it should be between $200,000 and $250,000.
Highland County Sheriff Ron Ward said he felt the detectives from his office did a thorough job in investigating the complex case.
"This case was a very complex financial investigation and the detectives put in a lot of long hard hours working with the church board and the other victims in the case, and I applaud them for their hard work to bring (the case) to the plea deal today," Ward said. "I think the case was very well put together when it was presented to the prosecutor's office, and upon the defense attorneys looking over the case and saw how well it was investigated - there were probably a lot of reasons they came to the plea agreement - but I think the case would have been proven in court had it got to trial, and I believe the defense attorneys saw that fairly quickly."
The Blaine case is the third case in the past year in Highland County in which area residents have been convicted of stealing thousands of dollars from area churches. Nancy Williams pleaded guilty in April to stealing more than $40,000 from St. Benignus Church in Greenfield, and Dennis Butler was sentenced to three years in prison in April for stealing $200,000 from the Sugar Tree Ridge Church of Christ.
"Obviously, each case has its individual fact pattern," Ward said. "This case, I think, is different from the other cases that came down for several reasons. This was the minister of the church and the highest in the hierarchy of the church, and (he allegedly) forged board members' names and other victims outside the church were involved and effected. And he did not cooperate with law enforcement. In other cases, the individuals were cooperative. In this case, he did not cooperate whatsoever."
Ward said that he is satisfied with the outcome of the case.
"I am satisfied. Obviously, the court does not have to stay with the recommendation (for sentencing), as it is with every defendant," Ward said. "I am not sure what the outcome will ultimately be on sentencing, but I trust Judge Coss's judgment."
Blaine was originally arrested on April 27, 2010, on one count of theft filed in Highland County Court, when he returned to Ohio from Texas to attend a bankruptcy hearing on a case he initiated. The case was then presented to the grand jury on May and he was indicted on 17 counts.
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Blaine was scheduled to be in court for an evidentiary hearing to challenge search warrants that were executed in the investigation by the Highland County Sheriff's Office. Blaine was scheduled to go to trial later this month.
Judge Rocky Coss questioned Blaine for several minutes, asking him if he understood the proceedings and informed him of certain rights he was giving up by pleading guilty, including the right to a jury trial. Blaine said he understood, and pleaded guilty to one count of forgery, a felony of the fifth degree, and aggravated theft, a felony of the third degree. The theft charge alleged that Blaine had stolen more than $100,000 from the church. The remaining charges on the 17-count indictment were dismissed.
Blaine was formerly a pastor of the Good Shepherd Church in Greenfield. Highland County Prosecutor Jim Grandey said that the church had been informed of the plea agreement. At least one church member was present during the hearing, and addressed Judge Coss. That church member said one of dismissed forgery counts regarded his signature, but for the most part he was OK with the plea.
The court accepted Blaine's plea, and agreed to a presentence investigation. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 1.
The state, represented by Highland County Prosecutor Jim Grandey and assistant prosecutor David Henry, recommended Blaine be sentenced to eight months in prison on the forgery charge and to thre e years in prison on the theft charge. The state noted it would not oppose judicial release, and recommended he make full restitution.
Coss told Blaine that just because the state is not opposed to judicial release does not mean that he would grant it, and that is a determination that only Coss makes.
Blaine was represented in court by privately retained attorneys Marc Ross and Scott Colaway.
Det. Danny Croy and Det. Denny Kirk of the Highland County Sheriff's Office were also in court.
Coss continued bond and house arrest for Blaine until the sentencing hearing, and told Blaine that his determination on sentencing will in part be based on how well Blaine does on house arrest between now and sentencing.
Following the hearing, Grandey told The Highland County Press that his office was pleased with the outcome of the case. Grandey said that a hearing will have to be held regarding how much restitution Blaine will have to pay, but his office will allege it should be between $200,000 and $250,000.
Highland County Sheriff Ron Ward said he felt the detectives from his office did a thorough job in investigating the complex case.
"This case was a very complex financial investigation and the detectives put in a lot of long hard hours working with the church board and the other victims in the case, and I applaud them for their hard work to bring (the case) to the plea deal today," Ward said. "I think the case was very well put together when it was presented to the prosecutor's office, and upon the defense attorneys looking over the case and saw how well it was investigated - there were probably a lot of reasons they came to the plea agreement - but I think the case would have been proven in court had it got to trial, and I believe the defense attorneys saw that fairly quickly."
The Blaine case is the third case in the past year in Highland County in which area residents have been convicted of stealing thousands of dollars from area churches. Nancy Williams pleaded guilty in April to stealing more than $40,000 from St. Benignus Church in Greenfield, and Dennis Butler was sentenced to three years in prison in April for stealing $200,000 from the Sugar Tree Ridge Church of Christ.
"Obviously, each case has its individual fact pattern," Ward said. "This case, I think, is different from the other cases that came down for several reasons. This was the minister of the church and the highest in the hierarchy of the church, and (he allegedly) forged board members' names and other victims outside the church were involved and effected. And he did not cooperate with law enforcement. In other cases, the individuals were cooperative. In this case, he did not cooperate whatsoever."
Ward said that he is satisfied with the outcome of the case.
"I am satisfied. Obviously, the court does not have to stay with the recommendation (for sentencing), as it is with every defendant," Ward said. "I am not sure what the outcome will ultimately be on sentencing, but I trust Judge Coss's judgment."
Blaine was originally arrested on April 27, 2010, on one count of theft filed in Highland County Court, when he returned to Ohio from Texas to attend a bankruptcy hearing on a case he initiated. The case was then presented to the grand jury on May and he was indicted on 17 counts.
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