Nearly $9,000 has been raised for a woman accused of stealing $2.87 from this Bellefontaine fountain. 
 
 By Breaking News Staff 
 
 Nearly $9,000 has been raised for a woman accused of stealing $2.87 from a Bellefontaine fountain. 
 
 Deidra Romine, 38, was issued a summons for theft earlier this month after a citizen complaint led to a response from police. The Associated Press reported that she said she was out of work and in danger of losing her apartment. She said she needed money for food. 
 
 On Friday afternoon, nearly $9,000 had been raised for Romine on the website GoFundMe.com. The original goal was to raise $200, according to the site. 
 
 She pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Bellefontaine Municipal Court. A trial date has been set for Nov. 25. 
 
 Police Chief Brandon Standley said the department has gotten emails about the case and he knows it's been a topic of interest on social media. 
 
 "It's tugged at the heartstrings of folks," he said. "I understand that. But unfortunately we also have a job to do." 
 
 Police said Romine wasn't up front with officers when questioned about stealing from the fountain. According to a police report, a substantial amount of wet change was found in one of her pockets. 
 
 "It was pretty clear to me that if Miss Romine's actions would have been a little bit more forthcoming, I think we would have ended up in another result instead of her having to go to court," Standley said. 
 
 The change, according to Standley, became city property the moment it was thrown into the water. 

 1500This is the donation page for Deidre Romine, who was charged with theft for taking $2.87 from a fountain. Come to find out, she was just hungry. You can read her story here: Coins in the courthouse fountain: One woman's wish In addition to this online campaign people have been giving offline. Deidre has a case manager through the Developmental Disabilities department of Ohio. Additionally, she is now receiving support through an agency called Quality Residential Alternative (QRA), which helps people with developmental disabilities live independently. The support team around Deidre (which includes our representative Brian Evans) met on Thursday (10/17) with her to develop a plan. Her immediate needs are: 1) New housing by November 1st. 2) Vet services for the cats 3) New clothing. 4) Furnishings for new living (furniture, appliances, etc.). All of the furniture and appliances have already been donated!! 5) Food for her and the cats. 6) Fines- God forbid the charges are not dropped.We are also working with the great support staff at GoFundMe on how to best transfer the donated funds given the uniqueness of this situation. At this point, it appears the funds will be directly deposited into Deidre's account, which has custodial oversight by the support system.My commitment to all of the donors is that the funds will be used to help with her immediate needs and then to continue to support her in the most sustainable way. I am confident in the support team's ability to see this through.A summary of the activity will be provided once everything is transferred.My name is Will Zell, and I am the owner of ConnectToHome and the founder of Providence Holdings, Inc. You can read more about me here: www.linkedin.com/in/willzell You can also follow me on Twitter at @WillLZell.ConnectToHome published Deidre's story online on Monday (10/14). We received so much response from people who wanted to help support Deidre that we organized the giving here on GoFundMe and also within the community in Logan County.On Wednesday (10/16) WBNS 10tv from Columbus, Ohio ran a story about Deidre on their 11pm news report. This story was picked up by the Associated Press and was disseminated across the world!The mission of Providence Holdings is to build brands that love people. The story of Deidre, and the subsequent events, represent the highest and best use of our mission: Use a Providence owned company to positively impact the life of another.I reside in Logan County, Ohio with my beautiful wife Beth and three children. We also own Sweet Aromas Coffee in Bellefontaine, and are involved in the ministry at Christ Our King Church, also in Bellefontaine.Prior to this event I did not know Deidre. We live in the same county but I did not know her personally. Now, not only me, but our entire community, and many people from around the world have rallied around her to provide a fresh start.This is a beautiful story.
– Looks like there will be a happy ending after all for the jobless woman arrested for taking $2.87 from a courthouse fountain to buy food. A campaign on GoFundMe.com has so far raised almost $10,000 for Deidre Romine, whose trial on theft charges starts next month. All of the donations will be given to Romine's case manager, according to the man who created the campaign. The local police chief acknowledges to WHIO-TV that Romine's case has "tugged at the heartstrings of folks," but says, "we also have a job to do." He adds that he thinks "we would have ended up in another result instead of her having to go to court" if Romine had been more forthcoming when officers questioned her.