HANCOCK COUNTY — One of the three teenager who police say was involved with an armed robbery in July 2022 had his case settled via plea agreement in Hancock County Superior Court 1 late last week.
Jaykob Neice, who was 16 at the time of the incident, 100 block of South Center Street, Maxwell, was charged as an adult and was facing the same charges as the two older teens in the case — a Level 3 felony count of armed robbery and a Level 6 felony count of auto theft.
However, the plea agreement called for the Level 3 felony armed robbery charge to be dismissed. Neice was then sentenced for the Level 6 felony count of auto theft after admitting guilt, Wednesday, June 7.
Judge D.J. Davis sentenced Neice to a 912-day term in the Hancock County Jail. However, Neice was given 616 total days of jail credit while the remaining 296 days were suspended. Court records show 120 of the days suspended will be served on community corrections home detention and the other 176 are suspended to probation.
Nicholas James Thomas, who was 18 at the time of the crimes, 1000 block of W. Walnut Street, has been 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. He’s set to have his case settled in early July.
Joshua Charles McCarty Jr., who was 18 at the time of the crime, 3000 block of East 600N, has been charged with a Level 3 felony count of armed robbery and a Level 6 felony count of auto theft. He has a pre-trial conference set for early August.
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, 2022. 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.”
Due to Neice being a juvenile at the time, he was not booked in the county jail when he was arrest, but was instead held at a juvenile facility for some 308 days while his case made it’s way through the court system.
