Fenwick files motion to change service of commitment

Thursday, March 18, 2010
Fenwick

GREENCASTLE -- A Greencastle woman currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for stealing more than $350,000 from a local Methodist church has filed a motion to change service of commitment.

Melynda J. Fenwick, 37, was convicted on Nov. 23 with six counts of Class C felony forgery and six counts of Class D felony theft. The charges were in connection with incidents in which she took money from and made unauthorized credit card charges on accounts belonging to Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church in Greencastle, where she was employed as an administrative financial secretary.

The state has filed an objection to Fenwick's motion.

"I understand this does not necessarily reduce or suspend my sentence, but changes the place I serve my sentence," Fenwick wrote in a letter to Putnam County Circuit Court Judge Matthew Headley.

Putnam County Prosecutor Timothy Bookwalter said at the time Fenwick filed the motion, she had only served 3 percent of her sentence.

"To modify a sentence after only serving 3 percent of it makes a mockery of the criminal justice system," Bookwalter said.

Fenwick goes on in the letter to point out that her crime was non-violent, and that "I feel my threat to the community is minimal."

Bookwalter disagreed.

"The evidence presented at sentencing contradicts that statement and shows that her lengthy patterns of theft at two previous employers makes her a threat to this community," he said.

She has asked Headley to allow her to serve the rest of her sentence on house arrest through Putnam County Community Corrections.

"I am also asking for a change of commitment to ease the hardship of incarceration that has been placed on my family and dependent children," Fenwick wrote.

Fenwick said she would like to work with pregnant and troubled teens "that have potential to have criminal behavior."

Fenwick said she was anxious to secure employment and begin doing community service. She also said prison officials at Rockville Correctional Facility, where she is serving her sentence, decided she did not need a medical device Fenwick had been using after being diagnosed with sleep apnea.

"I am very concerned with the effect this may have on my future medical condition because sleep apnea can be life-threatening," she wrote.

After she is released from prison, Fenwick will spend five years on probation.

Gobin currently has a civil suit pending against Fenwick. She worked at the church from late 2004 until she was arrested on Aug. 11, 2009.

"I do not fully agree with the amount that they are accusing me (of stealing), which I stated at my sentence hearing," Fenwick wrote. "If the change of commitment is allowed, I could be present at the trial, due to the fact that the Department of Corrections does not transport for civil cases."

Headley has taken Fenwick's motion and the state's objection under advisement.

Comments
View 15 comments
Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
  • Are you kidding me?? Don't do the crime if you can't do the time! Course she'd like to "ease the hardship of incarceration".

    -- Posted by bannerstuff on Thu, Mar 18, 2010, at 11:08 AM
  • "...ease the hardship of incarceration that has been placed on my family and dependent children."

    Don't you suppose the $350,000 missing from the church was a hardship, too?

    I have sleep apnea, too. If it's going to kill her, what difference does it make if she's at home or in jail?

    -- Posted by Dagnabbit on Thu, Mar 18, 2010, at 11:34 AM
  • In a word. Ridiculous.

    -- Posted by GCmomma on Thu, Mar 18, 2010, at 12:12 PM
  • ......."would like to work with pregnant and troubled teens "that have potential to have criminal behavior."

    She's either dilusional or she has a cloudy thinking process. There' no way that she's ready to do something like this with only 3% of her sentence completed. She's eager to seek employment, but who would hire her ? She's a thief.

    Hope the officials at the facility had her evaluated by a qualified sleep specialist to determine if the device she has been using for apnea really is a medical necessity.

    -- Posted by Scripted Spontaneity on Thu, Mar 18, 2010, at 1:22 PM
  • Is this a joke? You did the crime now do the time and stop whinning about it. As Prosecutor Bookwalter stated she has a history of theft in the workplace. You want to work with troubled teens? As an educator in Indianapolis, I work with troubled and pregnant teens helping them get their high school diplomas, the last thing those young people need is somebody with a history of taking advantage of other people working closely with them!!

    -- Posted by Heritage Lake Resident on Thu, Mar 18, 2010, at 1:29 PM
  • "Fenwick said she was anxious to secure employment and begin doing community service" LOL..I wonder many employers will be anxious to hire a woman that stole more than a quarter of a million dollars from a church and stole from two other employers before that?

    If she needs the C-pap machine to sleep with, then okay give it to her. But as far as letting her out on house arrest..no way. It might not have been a violent crime but it was still a crime of great magnitude. I'm sorry for her children having to deal with their mother's choices, but what message would be sent if she is allowed out? Do what you want, no matter who it hurts but get off with minimal punishment.

    Personally I am sick of seeing her face and reading about her whining. She needs to just do her time (or at least a good portion of it) and prove to everyone she is sorry and has actually learned a lesson.

    -- Posted by putnammom on Thu, Mar 18, 2010, at 1:57 PM
  • This woman continues to rape society and Putnam County of money. She would like to work with pregnant and troubled teens that have potential to have criminal behavior. Just what they need, a convicted felon teaching them how to finesse their potential for criminal behavior. Leave her in prison so she won't be able to harm society further.

    -- Posted by The Great Outdoors on Thu, Mar 18, 2010, at 2:07 PM
  • I agree with all the above...and that this person

    not be allowed anywhere near impressionable young

    people.

    -- Posted by mothersue on Thu, Mar 18, 2010, at 2:36 PM
  • Does she honestly think that she is the type of person that we need working with the youth of the world? She needs to stay where she is and deal with the consequences of what she did. It seems that she has a pattern of stealing from her workplaces, so who in their right mind would want ot hire her? Hopefully not where I work!

    -- Posted by Missy2005 on Thu, Mar 18, 2010, at 2:46 PM
  • Doesn't seem near as much fun now after she has

    had time to think about what she done. I bet

    she didn't think about anything while she was stealing and spending! She needs to stay right

    where she is and do the time for the crime.

    She evidently didn't think about her kids or

    husband in the past so why worry now. I would

    still like to know what she did with all the money

    because she didn't use it for her property..

    -- Posted by Iamforgiven on Thu, Mar 18, 2010, at 4:34 PM
  • This is a sad situation all around. Banner delete the comment section like do do with other stories.

    -- Posted by twin_mom on Thu, Mar 18, 2010, at 6:09 PM
  • She has plenty of time now at Rockville Correctional to go to law library and file motions to the court to try and get out. They all do that cause it is their right. Let her keep trying-but she needs to do her time.I would not want her working with any of my children or any one elses.

    -- Posted by peace2019 on Thu, Mar 18, 2010, at 6:12 PM
  • ditto to all of the above.

    -- Posted by ursula on Fri, Mar 19, 2010, at 4:06 PM
  • "Fenwick said she was anxious to secure employment and begin doing community service.".....Good Luck With That!!!

    "She also said prison officials at Rockville Correctional Facility, where she is serving her sentence, decided she did not need a medical device Fenwick had been using after being diagnosed with sleep apnea.

    "I am very concerned with the effect this may have on my future medical condition because sleep apnea can be life-threatening," she wrote".....Better Physical shape may help her with that issue and there Prisoner's with MUCH Worse ailments than "Sleep Apnea"....Do your Time, Quit Whining...Accept your Punishment!! YOU STOLE FROM A CHURCH!!!! YOU, Not anyone else!! YOU!! Now deal with it...

    -- Posted by Afghan Contractor on Tue, Mar 23, 2010, at 8:29 AM
  • You don't understand what the family is going through and to read all these hurtful comments just makes everything worse.

    I belive that she would do great helping troubled children seeing as how she has had the exsperience in being there..Have you? NO so until you have been put into her situation..Think about would you want the Socitey to hate you? no i didnt think so!

    -- Posted by YouDontUnderstand on Thu, Apr 29, 2010, at 9:57 AM
Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: