Man who wrecked Greenfield ATM gets ‘last chance’

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A Sabina man who tore open an ATM in Greenfield in November 2018 was sentenced Wednesday morning to five years of community control sanctions with a stern warning from the judge that this was his last chance to reform.

As previously reported, Jeremiah Eidenier, 43, Sabina, was taken into custody Wednesday, Nov. 14 after officers found him outside the Homeland Credit Union on North Fifth Street in Greenfield with his hands inside the damaged ATM.

Officers responded to find Eidenier “removing items” from inside the ATM, police said at the time, and he was taken into custody without incident.

Highland County Prosecuting Attorney Anneka Collins said Wednesday that Eidenier “basically stood in the middle of the street for three hours dismantling that ATM.”

A Highland County Grand Jury indicted Eidenier in December on fourth-degree felony charges of safecracking and vandalism.

Eidenier entered a guilty plea Jan. 18, according to online court records.

Eidenier said in court on Wednesday that he was on a mix of methamphetamine and heroin at the time, and his lawyer, Bill Armintrout, said the incident was “partly driven” by the drugs in his system.

Eidenier is now enrolled in residential treatment at Massie House, a drug rehab center in southern Highland County.

“Right now, I have an addiction I can’t control,” he said.

Judge Rocky Coss said if Eidenier wasn’t on drugs at the time of the offense, he would have had to be “terminally stupid” to commit the crime, adding, “maybe you have a little of that, too.”

According to Coss, Eidenier was already on community control when he committed the offense and violated the terms of his supervision.

Coss extended the community control sanctions by five years and ordered Eidenier to complete treatment at Massie House.

The judge said he was giving Eidenier his “last chance,” and that he would send him to prison if he violates his community control sanctions.

Also Wednesday morning, a Martinsville woman who police said helped another woman steal a French bulldog with counterfeit money was sentenced to 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to receiving stolen property.

According to a bill of particulars filed in the case, Nicki Brown, 30, Martinsville, was the driver of a vehicle used to steal a valuable dog from another woman.

The bill said the victim was offering the bulldog for $4,000, but agreed to sell it to another woman for $2,000. During the exchange, the buyer gave the victim an envelope with money in it, the victim gave the buyer the dog, and the buyer ran to a Mazda van with the dog and the vehicle drove off, the bill said.

According to the bill, the envelope had $840 in counterfeit money inside.

It was determined that Brown was the driver of the van, and she was later arrested, the bill said.

Coss said Brown has multiple prior convictions including using food stamps illegally, and she “repeatedly” lied to investigators in the dog theft case.

Melinda Jenkins, 33, Wilmington, was also sentenced to 10 months in prison for failure to register a change of address as a sex offender.

According to the judge, Jenkins claimed to be registered at a local home, but investigators found she did not live there.

Jenkins’ lawyer, Adam King, said Jenkins was homeless at the time and living in a tent, and that she did not intentionally fail to report.

The judge said she had five prior felonies and that this was not her first failure to register.

Reach David Wright at 937-402-2570.

Jeremiah Eidenier, right, is shown Wednesday in Highland County Common Pleas Court with attorney Bill Armintrout.
http://www.timesgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2019/02/web1_f-eidenier-court.jpgJeremiah Eidenier, right, is shown Wednesday in Highland County Common Pleas Court with attorney Bill Armintrout. David Wright | The Times-Gazette
Eidenier says he used meth, heroin before incident

By David Wright

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