FORTVILLE — A teen who tried to rob a local gas station — then hid in a clothes dryer to evade police — will serve a four-year sentence after admitting to the crimes.
Cody Toney, 19, of Fortville, pleaded guilty recently to a single count of attempted robbery as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, records show. He’ll serve four years on probation, the first six months of which will be spent on home detention, Hancock Superior Court 1 Judge Terry Snow ruled.
Investigators said Toney walked into a Fortville convenience store one evening in June and demanded money from a cashier. He fled the store before the employee handed over any money and ran to his parents’ home a few blocks away.
Police used K9s and tips from bystanders to track Toney to his home, 426 S. Maple St., Fortville. His mother answered the door and allowed officers to come inside. A police dog found the boy huddled inside a dryer, officials said.
During an interview with police, Toney admitted to having tried to rob the gas station. He also told officers he’d broken into a car nearby and stolen a woman’s purse, police said.
Toney walked into the Huck’s Convenience Store, located in the 300 block of E. Broadway St. in Fortville, late on June 14. He approached the front counter and told the clerk, “Give me a couple hundred dollars out of the drawer right now — and don’t press the emergency button,” according to police dispatch records.
During the incident, the teen kept a hand in the pocket of the sweatshirt he was wearing, which led the gas station’s staff to believe he had a gun. Police later learned he was not armed at the time of the attempted robbery, officials said.
Police canvassed the area near the gas station after Toney ran, asking neighbors if they’d seen anything strange or spotted a teen matching the would-be robber’s description.
Toney’s home was roughly a five-minute walk from the gas station. A police dog tracked him there.
Toney was arrested and charged with a felony and several misdemeanors. He faced one Level 5 felony count of attempted robbery; one Class A misdemeanor of theft; one Class B misdemeanor of unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle; and one Class C misdemeanor of illegal consumption of alcohol.
Toney pleaded guilty to the count of attempted robbery filed against him. Prosecutors dismissed the remaining criminal counts as part of the plea agreement they forged with defendant, records show.