Church vandalism suspect ordered back to jail

Thursday, January 7, 2016

An 18-year-old Greencastle man, implicated in a series of local church vandalisms last summer, is back in Putnam County Jail after a bond revocation hearing earlier this week.

Shea Michael Tahtinen, who turned himself in shortly after the August church incidents, is facing three misdemeanors in connection with the vandalisms and two Level 6 felonies after a subsequent search of his electronic devices turned up alleged child pornography.

On Nov. 6, he was placed on home detention, monitored by an ankle bracelet as a term of his pretrial release. A Feb. 5 suppression hearing and an April 13 pretrial conference are scheduled in the case.

However, Tahtinen was arrested on Dec. 30 on a petition to revoke bond in the case after Community Corrections Officer Jeremiah Jackson reported no fees had been paid beyond the original $95 hook-up fee for the home-monitoring equipment.

Home-detention monitoring comes at a cost of $18 per day, it was noted during court proceedings in front of Putnam Superior Court Judge Denny Bridges Monday afternoon.

Jackson told the court Tahtinen is at least $385 in arrears and has offered no solution on how he might catch up.

His response, Jackson said, was continually "no money" or "it's the holidays" when he asked about the payment situation.

The Community Corrections officer noted he personally showed the defendant how to look for jobs online and told him of several local places that have been hiring, including factories like Chiyoda.

However, the response from Tahtinen, Jackson testified, was that those jobs weren't for him and that he did not want to work any customer service positions or fast-food jobs.

Prosecutor Timothy Bookwalter said the teenager has exhibited "a lack of desire on his part" to seek employment to rectify the situation.

"He's able to work," Bookwalter said, "he just doesn't wish to do so."

He suggested Tahtinen either work to pay for home-detention monitoring or go back to jail on $10,000 bond.

Tahtinen's attorney, J. Eric Schronce of Crawfordsville, suggested his client has a disorder that prevents him from working in a public setting. Noting that the teenager is facing charges for "non-violent offenses," he asked for a $500 bond in the case.

However, Judge Bridges, noting that Tahtinen had violated terms of his Community Corrections commitment, said Level 6 felony charges carry a standard bond of $10,000 cash in Putnam County.

The judge added that when Jackson went to interview the suspect, he was "playing video games instead of trying to find a job."

Schronce noted that Tahtinen had sought employment at three businesses, including Family Video and Greencastle Music Center, during the period.

"So three places in 46 days," the judge responded before taking the bond revocation issue under advisement for 48 hours.

On Wednesday, Judge Bridges denied any bond reduction in the case, ordering Tahtinen held on the $10,000 cash-only bond.

The string of church vandalisms originally came to light Aug. 13 with incidents reported at three Greencastle churches. Anti-Christian graffiti was painted on signage at Gobin United Methodist Church as well as First Southern Baptist Church and St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.

After he turned himself in, a search of the suspect's phone revealed a child pornography video, authorities noted, while the phone also stored a video of Tahtinen burning a Bible in a Greencastle church parking lot, along with videos of animal cruelty, Islamic torture and school shootings saved from online sources.

A search of the Tahtinen property, authorities noted, revealed a number of examples of satanic paraphernalia consistent with the church graffiti, cans of black spray paint and a CD of Norwegian black metal artist Burzum, whose name had been painted on the side of one church.

Tahtinen also reportedly bragged about committing the church crimes on a messaging app, police said.

Tahtinen remained lodged in the Putnam County Jail as of Thursday evening.

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  • Shouldn't have been slapped on the wrist and let off to begin with. These kids aren't being done any favors in life by being let off like this. This young man needs court ordered and enforced counseling badly.

    -- Posted by Carla Hurst-Chandler on Fri, Jan 8, 2016, at 6:52 AM
  • "It's the Holidays" ??? was he out doing good deeds for the less-fortunate (too busy to look for work) and buying gifts for orphans (spending his own hard-earned money) during the Holy Season? This person had time to vandalize churches and had money for spray paint last summer ... Please, order a "No-Bond".

    -- Posted by GRNT on Fri, Jan 8, 2016, at 7:17 AM
  • It's easy to judge and armchair quarterback. He did the wrong thing and definitely made bad choices, but this kid is worth saving. He needs help and counseling. Not thrown stones and judgment.

    -- Posted by Moretothestory on Sat, Jan 9, 2016, at 1:39 PM
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