Mistrial declared in Highland County theft case due to hung jury
Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss declared a mistrial Friday afternoon, after a jury was unable to reach a verdict in a theft case involving a Seaman woman.
As previously reported, Lori K. Greene, 48, of Seaman was indicted by a Highland County grand jury in January, and then again in a superseding indictment in May, and charged with one count of aggravated theft from a person in a protected class, a second-degree felony.
The indictment alleged that between 2019 and 2023 in Highland County “and as a continuing course of criminal conduct in Adams County,” Greene “did knowingly obtain or exert control over” currency totaling over $150,000 from an elderly victim and allegedly did so “without the consent of the owner or the person authorized to give consent.”
A jury was seated Thursday around 10:30 a.m., with the trial starting approximately 20 minutes later with Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss providing initial jury instructions.
Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins told the jury that between bank transfers and credit card charges, Greene allegedly stole approximately $420,000 from her former employer, a Highland County business owner who is legally classified as “elderly.”
Greene’s attorney, Bruce Wallace, told the jury they would hear “two different versions” of Greene’s time working for this business, as Greene denies stealing from the business owner and “believes every check written to her was money she had earned for work she had done.”
The state presented four witnesses, including the alleged victim in this case; a forensic accountant who helped investigate the business accounts; and the two Highland County Sheriff’s Office detectives who investigated the case, Det. Sgt. Vincent Antinore and Det. Sgt. Erica Engle.
Greene also took the stand in her own defense Thursday afternoon.
After the first round of instructions and closing arguments, Coss dismissed the jury Thursday at 4 p.m., asking them to report back Friday morning. The jury received the case Friday shortly before 9 a.m.
Following three hours of deliberations, the jury “reported in writing that it was deadlocked,” according to Coss’ mistrial entry. He dismissed the jury for lunch at noon, then when they returned, he “gave an additional instruction regarding the possibility of reaching a verdict.”
An hour later, the jury was still unable to reach a verdict. Coss said that he met with attorneys for both sides, and they agreed with the court’s decision to “declare the jury deadlocked” and to order a mistrial.
A second jury trial against Greene is scheduled for Aug. 13.
Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.