Man who led Niles police on high-speed chase sent to prison
Published 9:04 am Tuesday, January 28, 2020
NILES — A Grand Rapids man who led police on vehicle and on-foot chases after stealing lottery tickets was sentenced to prison Monday by Berrien County Trial Court Judge Sterling R. Schrock at the Niles courthouse, 1205 Front St.
Nathan John Dymond, 38, committed two misdemeanors and three felonies in the Niles area over six months before being caught. He will serve 18 to 60 months in prison, with 64 days already served, and pay $198 in fines.
Dymond’s misdemeanors were third-degree retail fraud and second-degree receiving and concealing property. His felonies were stealing a motor vehicle, third-degree fleeing police and a second offense of methamphetamine use.
“What are you doing here?” Schrock asked the west Michigan resident during sentencing.
Dymond did not provide an answer, but he did apologize for his streak of offenses.
He said he was ready to pay for his “egregious choices” that stemmed from a feeling of worthlessness. He said his fiancée and daughters have since helped him find his self-worth again.
“I was in a dark place at the time,” Dymond said. “These girls taught me I could be a good person.”
Dymond racked up most of his crimes on Oct. 6, 2019, when he stole lottery tickets from a Niles Admiral Gas Station. When police arrived on the scene after an employee called dispatch, Dymond fled on his motorcycle, which police later discovered was stolen.
An officer followed suit in his vehicle, recording Dymond reaching 90 to 100 miles per hour in residential neighborhoods while driving through red lights.
Dymond then ditched his motorcycle at Zellco Precision in Niles, heading into a wooded area. Law enforcement officers were unable to find him, but he was caught a few days later in Indiana.
Also Monday, two other people were sentenced on theft-related charges.
Dezeray Samone Moten, 29, of Lincoln Avenue in Niles, was sentenced to two years of probation, $7,053 in restitution, $898 in fines and mental health programming for uttering and publishing. Moten was involved in a check scheme with three others that affected United Federal Credit Union.
Moten was also sentenced to 63 days in jail, with 63 days served, and 41 days in jail, with 41 days served, for stealing her mother’s vehicle and for using cocaine, respectively.
Brandi Raeann Rohrer, 24, of Elkhart, was the third person sentenced Monday for stealing a motor vehicle. She will serve 120 days in a penal institution and pay $258 in fines.
After Rohrer was pulled over for suspected retail fraud Dec. 3, 2019, she admitted to knowing the vehicle she drove was stolen. The original vehicle thief was her brother.
The following people were also sentenced Monday, each for possession of methamphetamine:
• Robert Flohr, 48, of Market Street in Niles, was sentenced to 20 to 120 months in prison, with 129 days served. He must also pay $198 in fines.
Multiple prior convictions involving methamphetamine caused Flohr to receive his prison sentence.
“He’s kind of built himself into a different situation here,” Schrock said, noting this was his third violation as a parole absconder in 10 months.
• Neil Courtney Bennett, 48, who is homeless, was sentenced to 57 days in jail, with 57 days served. He must also pay $198 in fines.
Bennett said he had a job lined up immediately after employment and had a place to stay in Indiana.
• Donell Quentin Blakemore, 35, of Platt Street in Niles, was sentenced to 18 months of probation, 69 days in jail with 69 days served and $778 in fines.
Discussion over Blakemore’s sentencing centered on his past criminal history. Berrien County Assistant Prosecutor Gerald Vigansky said his 15 parole violations were a cause for jail time. Blakemore and his defense attorney said those violations took place more than a decade ago.