
Collins
DECATUR — Jeremiah D. Collins, arrested by police and accused of engaging in a spree of destruction and burglary in Decatur during the height of social unrest in the turbulent summer of 2020, is now being dealt with in a court program aimed at aiding people with mental health issues.
Macon County's Behavioral Health Court, also referred to as Mental Health Court, offers access to treatment and rehabilitation for those who qualify for it.
Macon County State’s Attorney Scott Rueter said it’s a collaborative effort involving his office, a judge, law enforcement and mental health professionals who evaluate and aid defendants.
If those in the program like Collins, 20, arrested June 3 and free on bail since Dec. 8, follow the rules and treatment guidelines and stick with the program, Rueter said the specialized court process offers them a path out of the criminal justice system, punishment, and a criminal record.
“It’s a carrot-and-stick sort of approach,” added Rueter. “The carrot is if you do what you are supposed to do then, typically, the charges are dismissed. Now that is not always true, and sometimes the result is that there is only less of a punishment because of your participation. But mostly the carrot is ending up with no conviction.”
Collins, who has previously pleaded not guilty to a stack of charges, had turned himself into Decatur police. He had become front and center in a large scale investigation into a spree of theft and criminal damage from May 31 to June 2. Police posted surveillance camera images on their Facebook page showing Collins frequently wearing a distinctive monkey face mask, smashing his way into businesses through windows and trying to torch a gas station convenience store.
In just one night, he was charged with driving a new $54,000 truck off the showroom floor and through the glass doors of the Bob Brady dealership, 4025 East Boyd Road. On the way out the vehicle had damaged a top-of-the-line sport utility vehicle valued at $97,000.
Police said the stolen truck was then used to try and ram open garage doors at World of Power Sports, 2635 N. 22nd St. Collins was quoted in sworn affidavits as telling police he targeted that business because it had once refused to hire him.
The affidavits said Collins had been involved in several of the crimes with six other suspects, all of whom were apprehended. The damage and burglaries happened at a time when America was on edge and political riots and vandalism were breaking out across the nation in the wake of the May 25 death of George Floyd while being arrested in Minneapolis.
Decatur Police Chief Jim Getz had said at the time, however, that the crimes committed in Decatur were just examples of wanton damage and thieving that had nothing to do with civil rights protesting.
“Just people looking to take advantage, taking the opportunity to do bad things at a time like this,” the chief had told the Herald & Review.
Collins had previously appeared in court entering not guilty pleas to five charges of burglary, two charges of possession of stolen vehicles, three charges of criminal damage, one charge of theft and one of arson.
Collins is being represented by public defender Brian Finney; the Macon County Public Defender’s Office has a policy of not commenting on current cases.
His successful entry into the behavioral court program represents a considerable change in fortune for Collins, whose case had been grinding its way through the regular court process. At a hearing in August, Macon County Circuit Court Presiding Judge and Supervising Judge for the Criminal Law Division, Thomas Griffith, had expressed frustration that Collins and his attorneys appeared to be waiting for some "miracle" plea deal to get the case resolved.
"It's always been a rule... if you have five or six cases, you don't have a lot of bargaining leverage; I guess that has escaped the world," Griffith had said at the time.
Rueter said defendants in the behavioral court process are always carefully evaluated before they are admitted to the system. "You could have someone who may be acting more mentally ill then they really are to try to con the system," he said.
"I am not saying that never happens, but we are trying to do our best to actually identify those who have an authentic mental illness that is best treated by a treatment approach rather than just locking them up somewhere."
Defendants report to court for weekly hearings in the initial stages to check progress and must pass through several other stages as they head toward what Rueter described as "graduation" from the program.
“There is not a fixed period to be in it,” explained the state’s attorney who has worked as a public defender himself. “But I would say from personal observation, on average, it runs about two years. But it can be shorter and it can be longer, just depending on the individual.”
The path of destruction that Colins is accused of leaving in his wake rang up a damage bill that was never calculated but must have run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Rueter said he sympathizes with crime victims who were left to clean up the mess and said there is nothing to stop them from suing through civil court to seek damages.
The state’s attorney pointed out, however, that collecting a huge compensation payout from a defendant struggling to get back into normal life and hold down a regular job is not very likely. He said the best outcome for society in the behavioral court process, and for the defendants themselves, is to get those involved the help they need to keep them out of the criminal justice system.
“So that they are not back out there reoffending and being a problem or causing more damage,” he added. “That is the first objective.”
Mug shots from the Herald & Review
2020 mug shots from the Herald & Review
Tevin C.S. Bradford

Tevin C.S. Bradford pleaded not guilty to charges he attempted to shoot to death a man he found in the apartment of his pregnant ex-girlfriend. READ THE STORY
Shane A. Lewis

Shane A. Lewis, 41, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of possessing methamphetamine and two counts of resisting police. READ THE STORY
Eric D. Currie

Eric D. Currie pleaded not guilty to a charge he hit a glass counter window at a restaurant, causing flying glass shards to cut the chin and forearm of a female employee. READ THE STORY
Leeandre M. Honorable

Leeandre M. Honorable pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder charge and two counts of the aggravated discharge of a firearm. READ THE STORY
Elijah K. Jones

Elijah K. Jones has pleaded not guilty to two counts of the aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, as well as charges of aggravated domestic battery involving strangulation and vehicular invasion at a preliminary. READ THE STORY
Norman L. Gates

Norman L. Gates who refused to hand a 6-month-old baby left in his care back to its mother and at one point pretended he had left the baby outside to face the danger of freezing to death, was sent to prison for 18 months. READ THE STORY
Felipe K. Woodley-Underwood

Felipe K. Woodley-Underwood was arrested April 10 in Wisconsin in connection with the shooting death of Bryston Musgrave, 24. He has pleaded not guilty. READ THE STORY
Jessica E. Bartimus

Jessica E. Bartimus was arrested on a preliminary charge of aggravated domestic battery after police say she inflicted life-threatening stab wounds on her 31-year-old boyfriend. She told police she acted in self-defense. READ THE STORY
Aric L. Corsby

Police said Aric L. Corsby of Decatur beat his girlfriend, pressed a gun to her head and shot at her. He was arrested on a preliminary charge of attempted murder April 22. READ THE STORY
Dylan R. Bunch Jr.

Police say Dylan R. Bunch Jr. was traveling around 60 mph under the influence of cannabis when he blew through a stop sign and smashed into another vehicle April 18, killing the other driver. READ THE STORY
Randall R. Burrus

Randall R. Burrus, 50, is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and with being in possession of a firearm after having been convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence. He was arrested April 15. READ THE STORY
Tyler D. Jeffrey

Tyler D. Jeffrey has pleaded not guilty to 14 charges of possessing and distributing child pornography involving children as young as 2, as well as four counts of failing to report annually as required by sex offender registration rules. He also faces a federal charge of transportation of child pornography. READ THE STORY
Bryant K. Bunch

Bryant K. Bunch pleaded not guilty to murder in the shooting death of Devin Slater. READ THE STORY
Timothy W. Smith

Timothy W. Smith pleaded not guilty April 1 to two charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving a girl under the age of 15 and a charge of domestic battery involving physical contact against the same victim. READ THE STORY
Bryan C. McGee

Bryan C. McGee was sentenced to 18 months in prison for possession of a stolen handgun after accepting a plea deal. A judge dismissed one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. READ THE STORY
Justin D. Tate

Police say Justin D. Tate picked up a runaway 14-year-old girl and force-fed her methamphetamine before making her perform sex acts and then raping her. He was arrested March 24. READ THE STORY
Matthew L. Rice

Matthew L. Rice was sentenced to four years in prison March 5 after he pleaded guilty to opening fire while a fight was going on in a crowded downtown Decatur parking lot. READ THE STORY
Courtney Williams

Courtney Williams was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that he sexually exploited a child younger than 14. READ THE STORY
Deonta M. Merriweather

Deonta M. Merriweather was sentenced to two years in prison March 3 after apologizing in court to the family of the Decatur man he said he had to shoot to death to protect himself. READ THE STORY
Atheree T. Chaney

Atheree T. Chaney, who had been accused of inflicting horrific stab wounds in an argument over a rock of crack cocaine, was sentenced to 24 months probation after prosecutors dropped a charge of attempted murder in a plea deal. READ THE STORY
Clarence A. Ballard

Clarence A. Ballard was sentenced to 45 years in prison after pleading guilty to predatory criminal sexual assault of a child. The charges stemmed from ballard having kidnapped a girl under 13 and strangling, punching and repeatedly sexually assaulting the child. READ THE STORY
Shaitan L. Cook Jr.

Shaitan L. Cook Jr., was sentenced Feb. 24 to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to a single count of first-degree murder. He was the last of the convicted killers of Decatur woman Cesley Taylor to be sentenced. READ THE STORY
Ricko R. Blaylock, Jr.

Ricko R. Blaylock, Jr. was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to drugs and weapons charges. Unrelated charges of terrorism/making a false threat and being a felon in possession of a weapon were dismissed. READ THE STORY
Seth M. Nashland

Seth M. Nashland, 31, was sentenced to 17 years in prison after pleading guilty to two charges of inflicting aggravated battery causing permanent disability to his 8-week-old son, leaving the baby blind and racked by seizures. READ THE STORY
Angela M. Schmitt

Angela M. Schmitt pleaded not guilty to charges that she stole more than $365,000 from the veterinary clinic where she worked as office manager. READ THE STORY
Sidney J. Flinn

Sidney J. Flinn was sentenced to five years Feb. 19 in prison for aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol causing the death of his girlfriend. READ THE STORY
Travis C. Stewart

Travis C. Stewart was sentenced to 18 months in prison for violating the terms of his probation handed down in December 2019 for defacing the lobby of the Decatur Police Department Headquarters and Macon County Courthouse. New charges that he smashed the windows in the Decatur Civic Center and the Keil Building administrative offices of the Decatur School District on July 4 and followed that up with puncturing the tires of 20 cars in downtown Decatur. READ THE STORY
Tracy T. Cunningham

Tracy T. Cunningham was charged with trying to stab his mother to death. READ THE STORY
Nancy Finley

Nancy Finley, the former Tower Hill treasurer accused of stealing more than $150,000 from village water and sewer bills, pleaded guilty Feb. 7 to three federal charges of wire fraud and was sentenced to 21 months in prison. READ THE STORY
Colby J. Park

A judge is still waiting to see whether Colby J. Park is fit to stand trial in a 2018 case of predatory criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse. READ THE STORY
Cornelius T. Price, Jr.

Cornelius T. Price, Jr. was acquitted of multiple felony charges involving home invasion and rape. READ THE STORY
Charles E. Gardner

Charles E. Gardner has pleaded guilty to the murder of Cody Drew and sentenced to 28 years in prison. READ THE STORY
Tamajhe I. Adams

Tamajhe I. Adams, an 18-year-old man police accuse of being associated with a Decatur gang involved with illegal weapons and drugs, has been sentenced to 24 months probation on two different firearms charges. READ THE STORY
Aaron K. Greer

Aaron K. Greer pleaded guilty Feb. 5 to a charge of criminal trespass. Prosecutors said he was a handyman who showed up drunk, broke into a potential client’s home, fell asleep on her couch and then threatened to kill her after she hit him with a golf club. READ THE STORY
Blake A. Lunardi

Blake A. Lunardi was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of two counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, and single counts of aggravated battery and aggravated unlawful restraint, and domestic battery and criminal damage. READ THE STORY
Avery E. Drake

Avery E. Drake has pleaded not to charges of reckless discharge of a firearm, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and armed violence, and to a charge of obstructing justice in a separate case. READ THE STORY
Mark A. Marquis

Mark A. Marquis of Decatur was sentenced to four years in prison Jan. 28. He was convicted on two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving two boys younger than 10. The same jury acquitted him of three additional counts of predatory criminal sexual assault after the three-day trial. READ THE STORY
Rhonda G. Keech

Rhonda G. Keech was placed on court supervision for a year after pleading guilty to one count of committing public indecency. Prosecutors said she was a private investigator caught performing oral sex inside the Macon County Jail on a prisoner for whom she had been hired to carry out an investigation. READ THE STORY
Casey T. Wiley

Casey T. Wiley was sentenced to three years on weapons charges. He had been acquitted of attempted murder, armed violence, armed robbery and aggravated battery and one count of aggravated discharge of a firearm. READ THE STORY
Jakaelin Gregory

Jakaelin Gregory was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of armed violence. Prosecutors said he had pointed a loaded gun at polcie officers. READ THE STORY
Jacquez L. Jones

Jacquez L. Jones has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder. He is accused of shooting another man to death Jan. 9. READ THE STORY
Alvin Bond

Alvin Bond was sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of attempted meth trafficking stemming from the 2019 arrest. He was sentenced to an additional four years after pleading guilty to a charge of unlawful possession of controlled substance with intent to deliver from a separate case 2017. READ THE STORY
Jarquez A. Hobbs

Jarquez A. Hobbs pleaded not guilty to charges that he broke into a Decatur home in August and sexually assaulting a girl under 13 years old. READ THE STORY
Terrence L. Calhoun

Terrence L. Calhoun was arrested Jan. 11 after police say he stabbed a woman twice in the chest with a kitchen knife. READ THE STORY
Santonio Byars Sr.

Santonio Byars was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was convicted of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of 22-year-old Tobby J. Buhs. READ THE STORY
Bruce A. Malone

Bruce A. Malone, accused of stabbing his 68-year-old girlfriend after beating her and stomping on her face, pleaded guilty Oct. 19 to one charge of aggravated domestic battery and was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison. READ THE STORY
Kronterial N. Bond

Kronterial N. Bond, who shot a Decatur man to death, was sentenced to 16 years in prison after an agreement in which in pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree murder. READ THE STORY
Billiejo L. Soyster

Billie Jo Soyster, who stabbed her boyfriend to death with a shard of glass, took a plea deal that saw murder charges dropped after she pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. She was sentenced to 4 years in prison. READ THE STORY
Scott L. Minix

Scott L. Minix has pleaded not guilty to charges that he exposed himself to a mother and young children shopping in a Decatur Walmart. READ THE STORY
Lester A. McDonald

Lester A. McDonald was placed on probation and ordered to undergo sex offender treatment after pleading guilty to a charge of committing public indecency in Decatur. READ THE STORY
Delahn L. Amos

Delahn L. Amos pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder charges that accuse him of killing one Decatur man and almost killing another in a hail of bullets fired in back-to-back shootings on consecutive nights. READ THE STORY
Chelsea Brown

Chelsea Brown is among three people facing preliminary charges after a daughter of the convicted killer was attacked in a courthouse elevator while leaving her father’s sentencing hearing. READ THE STORY
Chancellor C. Embry

Chancellor C. Embry pleaded not guilty to kicking in the front door of a Decatur home belonging to a terrified woman and stealing from her at gunpoint. He later pleaded not guilty to new charges that he robbed another woman at gunpoint a month earlier. READ THE STORY
Joseph Luckee Vincent Williams

Joseph Luckee Vincent Williams pleaded not guilty to two counts of attempted first degree murder in the Aug. 30 violence that erupted near the 700 block of East Clay Street. READ THE STORY
Dante L. Wade

Dante L. Wade was sentenced Oct. 7 to 60 years in prison for the Nov. 9, 2018, Decatur murder of Marcqui Apholone, 25. READ THE STORY
Shawanda Apholone

Shawanda Apholone, the aunt of a murdered Decatur man, is among three people facing preliminary charges after a daughter of the convicted killer was attacked in a courthouse elevator while leaving her father’s sentencing hearing. READ THE STORY
Kevin Brown

Kevin Brown is among three people facing preliminary charges after a daughter of the convicted killer was attacked in a courthouse elevator while leaving her father’s sentencing hearing. READ THE STORY
Thomas J. Nall

Thomas J. Nall, who put a 10-year-old boy through days of cruel punishment as if the child were at a military boot camp, was sentenced to 24 months probation and ordered to attend classes teaching him how to take care of children. READ THE STORY
Derondi C. Warnsley

Derondi C. Warnsley was sentenced to 30 months probation after pleading guilty to an amended charge of attempted residential burglary. In return for the guilty plea, four Class X felonies alleging home invasion and armed robbery and two Class 1 felonies alleging aggravated robbery and one count of residential burglary were dismissed. READ THE STORY
Levron K. Hines

Levron K. Hines pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted first-degree murder. He and Delahn L. Amos are accused of shooting a Decatur man who believed he was being hired to provide a member of Hines' family with a tattoo. READ THE STORY
Jamie L. Golladay

Jamie L. Golladay denied charges he fed a 14-year-old girl cocaine on one occasion and gave her repeated cash gifts on others while sexually assaulting the child. READ THE STORY
Regina M. Nall

Regina M. Nall pleaded guilty to a charge of endangering the life or health of a child and was given 24 months probation, told to undergo a mental health evaluation and ordered to perform 30 hours of community service work. READ THE STORY
Phillip M. E. Diggs

Phillip M. E. Diggs told a judge Sept. 17 that he was not guilty of trying to solicit a 13-year-old Decatur boy for sex. READ THE STORY
Daniel R. Blazich

Daniel R. Blazich pleaded not guilty to charges that he tried to kill a Decatur man by hitting him in the head with a hammer and then holding on to the man while an accomplice shot the victim twice. READ THE STORY
Matthew Anderson Jr.

The Decatur murder trial of Matthew A. Anderson Jr. was halted before it could begin Sept. 14 after the defendant switched his story and said he had grounds for a case of self-defense. READ THE STORY
Deoane A. Stone

Deoane A. Stone was sentenced to 10 years in prison in connection with the sexual assault of a girl aged under 13.Stone pleaded guilty to two charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Three charges of predatory criminal sexual assault and a further charge of aggravated criminal sexual abuse were dismissed. READ THE STORY
Micaiah G. Barton

Micaiah G. Barton, 18, was sent to prison for six years for driving drunk and smashing into the home of a Decatur great grandmother, sparking a fierce fire that killed her. READ THE STORY
Jason C. Herendeen

Jason C. Herendeen pleaded not guilty to burglary and pocketing more than $4,600 from the sale of gold bullion coins stolen in a Clinton burglary. READ THE STORY
Blake E. Merli

Blake E. Merli is pleading not guilty to two charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver and being an armed habitual criminal. READ THE STORY
Josh D. Longfellow

Josh D. Longfellow, who performed Sunday morning burnouts with his sports car on a Mount Zion street and, holding a handgun out the window, asked onlookers who complained if they “wanted some of this?” was sentenced to 24 months' probation. READ THE STORY
Jeremiah D. Collins

Jeremiah D. Collins is charged with five burglary charges, three counts of criminal damage, two counts of unlawful possession of a vehicle, one count of theft and one of arson. He was found eligible for Macon County's Behavioral Health Court, also referred to as Mental Health Court, which offers access to treatment and rehabilitation for those who qualify for it. READ THE STORY
Danielle M. Whitehead

Danielle M. Whitehead, a Decatur woman who shot at a fleeing car, accepted a plea deal that sentenced her to 24 months probation. READ THE STORY
Deonte D. Smith

Deonte D. Smith was sentenced to 11 years in prison in connection with trying to shoot a man to death after hiring an Uber driver to take him to the crime scene. Smith pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated battery on a public way and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon in return for other charges being dropped. READ THE STORY
Cory J. Marquis

Cory J. Marquis, a Decatur man who shot at his former girlfriend, was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to reckless discharge of a firearm. A more serious charge of being an armed habitual criminal was dismissed in a plea deal. READ THE STORY
Gary L. Boyle

Gary L. Boyle told a judge in July he was ready to switch his plea to guilty and accept a 40-year prison sentence for the rape of a girl under the age of 13. READ THE STORY
Carl E. Harvey II

Carl E. Harvey II pleaded not guilty to charges he stole more than $100,000 in cash and went on a shopping spree with the loot. READ THE STORY
Dessica N. Jackson

Dessica N. Jackson has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. Police said the 31-year-old victim was stabbed during a domestic dispute on July 19. READ THE STORY
Ashley N. Jobe

Ashley N. Jobe has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for partnering with her boyfriend to sexually assault two children under the age of 13. She pleaded guilty to two charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. READ THE STORY
Lori J. Kramer

Lori J. Kramer was sentenced to 24 months' probation and ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation in connection with charges she repeatedly slapped an autistic boy across the face so hard she split open his top lip. READ THE STORY
Talmel T. Wilson, Jr.

Talmel T. Wilson, Jr. pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and being a felon in possession of a weapon. READ THE STORY
Dana E. Bond, Jr.

Dana E. Bond, Jr. pleaded not guilty to charges of being a felon in possession of ammunition. Bond's June 9 arrest had sparked a tense confrontation between police and neighborhood residents. READ THE STORY
Christopher L. Bailey

Convicted sexual predator Christopher L. Bailey pleaded not guilty to 11 charges of possession and distribution of child pornography in Decatur. He also faces federal charges of possessing child pornography and two counts of distribution. READ THE STORY
Jennifer E. Bishop

Jennifer E. Bishop was sentenced to 24 months probation after pleading guilty to a charge of endangering the life or health of a child stemming from the accidental suffocation of her baby son while drunk and sleeping in the same bed with him. READ THE STORY
Paul M. Folks

Paul M. Folks pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder after prosecutors accused of him of firing his revolver into the backs of a fleeing crowd and shooting a Decatur woman dead. READ THE STORY
Cody M. Burries

Cody M. Burries was sentenced to 18 years in prison for inflicting fatal gunshot wounds on a victim in the parking lot of a Decatur bar in April 2019. READ THE STORY
Anthony J Dickey

Anthony J Dickey pleaded not guilty to charges he held up and robbed a victim in a Decatur home at gunpoint. READ THE STORY
Malik O. Lewis

Malik O. Lewis was arrested in June on preliminary charges of causing an accident that resulted in injury and death and failing to report an accident involving a death. READ THE STORY
Demetric J. Dixon

Demetric J. Dixon is accused of being the driver who fled from the scene of a collision that resulted in the deaths of four passengers, having an estimated blood alcohol level almost three times the legal limit for driving and running a red light. He has pleaded not guilty. READ THE STORY
Michelle R. Batman

Michelle R. Batman, accused of helping herself at gunpoint to contents from a home she had previously moved out of, pleaded not guilty to a charge of residential burglary. READ THE STORY
Seth D. Maxwell

Seth D. Maxwell pleaded not guilty to charges he invaded his 81-year-old grandfather’s Decatur home before assaulting him and then dragged his mother out of the house by her hair when she intervened. READ THE STORY
Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid