Tuesday, May 11, 2010

FORMER TEXAS PASTOR INDICTED BY GRAND JURY IN CONNECTION WITH THEFT FROM LOCAL CHURCH

On Tuesday, May 4, 2010, the Highland County Grand Jury issued a 17 count indictment against , James A. Blaine, age 61, currently of San Antonio Texas, and formerly of Greenfield, Ohio (Highland County) related to a theft case involving the Good Shepherd Church in Madison Township, where he formerly served as pastor. The 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 month long 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.
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. Blaine was arraigned on April 28, 2010, by Judge David Mckenna, sitting by assignment in County Court. The case was then presented to the Grand Jury on May 4, 2010, where the additional charges were issued. Blaine will be scheduled for an arraignment in Highland County Common Pleas Court before The Honorable Judge Rocky Coss in the near future. Blaine remains incarcerated at the Highland County Justice Center pending his arraignment in Common Pleas Court.

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