Final teen charged in auto theft arrested

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Joshua Charles McCarty Jr.

HANCOCK COUNTY — The last of the teenagers involved in a car theft incident where a gun was pulled on the victim in late July has been taken into custody.

Joshua Charles McCarty Jr., 18, 3000 block of East 600N, was arrested Monday, Aug. 15 and has officially been charged with a Level 3 felony count of armed robbery and a Level 6 felony count of auto theft. He made his initial appearance in Hancock County Superior Court 1, Tuesday, Aug. 15 where Magistrate Cody Coombs set a $30,000 cash bond.

McCarty is one of the three teenagers who have been accused of armed robbery following an incident on July 28, in the 1000 block of W. Walnut Street. The two other teenagers accused of being involved were arrested last week.

Nicholas James Thomas, 18, 1000 block of W. Walnut Street, was arrested Sunday, July 31 and charged with a Level 3 felony count of armed robbery, a Level 6 felony count of auto theft and a Level 6 felony count of pointing a firearm at another.

Jaykob Neice, 16, 100 block of South Center Street, Maxwell, has been charged as an adult and is facing the same charges as the two older teens — a Level 3 felony count of armed robbery and a Level 6 felony count of auto theft. Due to Neice being a juvenile, he was not booked in the county jail but is instead being held at a juvenile facility.

According to a probable cause affidavit, officials from the Greenfield Police Department were called to the 1000 block of W. Walnut St. Thursday, July 28. That’s where a victim told officials that Thomas, McCarty and a juvenile, later identified as Neice, were dressed in black hoodies and got inside his car. Thomas, the report said, was sitting in the front seat and pulled a gun on the victim.

Thomas told the victim to “give everything you have,” the affidavit said. The victim then told officials he grabbed his personal firearm, exited the car and fired his weapon in the air while the suspects fled the area in his vehicle.

The vehicle was later recovered, the report stated, and video helped officials identify the suspects. The victim also told officials he received a Snapchat message from Thomas stating Thomas, McCarty and Neice were coming to “finish the job.”

Thomas is set to be back in court Wednesday, Sept. 28, for a pretrial conference. He is still listed as an inmate in the county jail. Neice is scheduled for a pretrial conference the same day. McCarty is slated to be back in court Tuesday, Oct. 5.