A 17-year-old faces robbery, battery and theft charges after allegedly helping beat a person and robbing them of marijuana.
The alleged crimes are connected to the arrest of three Whitley County men in late October.
17-year-old Phillip Nicholas Boyd of Warsaw was arrested and booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 3:03 a.m. Saturday on charges of robbery causing serious bodily injury, dealing marijuana, possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana with the intent to deal and possession of paraphernalia. His bond was set at $30,500.
A probable cause affidavit from the Kosciusko Circuit/Superior Court lists the counts against Boyd as robbery with serious bodily injury, a level 2 felony; battery causing serious bodily injury, a level 5 felony; and theft, a Class A misdemeanor.
On Oct. 31, Warsaw Police Department officer Gordon Allen responded to a report of people walking down a sidewalk with a firearm in front of a Warsaw residence. He had been advised that a dark-colored vehicle with a loud exhaust had been driving around the area and occupants had exited the vehicle with a firearm.
Officers saw the vehicle on East Winona Avenue and conducted a traffic stop. The driver was identified as Nathan Dollar, the front-seat passenger as Jeffery Walker and the rear-seat passenger as David Medford, according to the probable cause affidavit. While removing the subjects in the vehicle, officers saw an AR-style rifle in the rear passenger compartment of the vehicle.
Medford, 19, South Whitley; Walker, 22, South Whitley; and Dollar, 18, Columbia City, were arrested Oct. 31 and charged with conspiracy to commit a robbery, according to a WPD news release issued Nov. 2.
Allen spoke with Dollar who said he drove Medford and Walker to Warsaw to rob people because one of their friends – identified as “CC” in the affidavit – recently had been robbed in a Warsaw residence. Dollar said he did not know who the target of the robbery was, but they were going to go there and “handle the business to prove a point,” the affidavit states. Dollar said Medford owned the firearm.
They parked in the area of Columbia Street and exited the vehicle. Medford allegedly was carrying a lug wrench, Walker had a rifle and Dollar was carrying a crowbar. They started walking toward the residence, but Dollar talked them out of going to the residence and they returned to the vehicle.
Officers searched the vehicle and found drug paraphernalia, a lug wrench, prybar, PMC .223 caliber rifle and eight .223 caliber cartridges. An officer searched Walker and found 12 plastic baggies that Allen determined to be marijuana and weighed 11.5 grams.
Warsaw Police Officer Brad Kellar spoke with Walker, who said Dollar picked him up and they drove to the Fort Wayne area where they purchased marijuana. Walker said he was told to deal the drug to a person in the Warsaw area. According to the affidavit, he used his cell phone GPS to find the location and he had 10 grams of marijuana on him. The marijuana was individually packaged for sale, and he sells it for $10 a gram. Walker refused to answer questions concerning the gun.
Kellar also spoke with Medford, who said the rifle was his. He admitted to having the rifle and walking down the street with the other guys, who had a crowbar and a tire iron.
Officers obtained cell phones from Walker, Dollar and Medford. Officers also got a search warrant for the phones and found digital information that identified the intended target of the robbery – identified only as “AA” in the affidavit. Officers went to AA’s residence, and while at the residence a vehicle drove by slowly. Officers stopped the vehicle and identified the driver – labeled as “BB” in the affidavit.
Kellar spoke with the driver who advised a male subject – CC – had went to AA’s residence to sell marijuana and he was battered and his marijuana stolen.
Officers obtained consent to search the residence of AA from AA’s mother. Inside, they found drug paraphernalia in AA’s bedroom. Officers confiscated the paraphernalia, which filled a shopping bag.
Allen spoke with AA, who said Marcus Hinkel and Nathan Ries hit and kicked CC and robbed him of his marijuana inside AA’s residence. AA said Hinkel and Ries used her Snapchat to message CC to order some marijuana and beat him up and steal his marijuana. AA also said she thought that on Oct. 30 and 31 in the evenings, Ries, Hinkel and Boyd were at her residence. She alleged that Hinkel and Ries stole 5 to 6 grams of marijuana from CC.
Allen spoke with Ries who said AA had arranged on Snapchat to purchase half an ounce of marijuana from CC for $130. AA then told Hinkel and Ries that they should jump CC?when he arrived and steal his marijuana. CC?only brought 8 grams of marijuana. Ries said AA answered the door and walked CC upstairs where Hinkel, Boyd and he were in her bedroom. AA left the bedroom and said, “You guys are going to pitch in on this, right?” Hinkel, Boyd and Ries then went upstairs and Hinkel allegedly struck CC in the face, and Boyd allegedly struck and kicked CC. Hinkel and CC fought a little more before leaving the residence. Ries thought the alleged robbery occurred on Oct. 29, according to the affidavit.
Kellar spoke with Hinkel who admitted he struck CC twice, knocking him down on the bed. He said the battery occurred in AA’s bedroom, and said Boyd and AA were present in the residence.
Kellar spoke with CC, who admitted he went to Warsaw to see AA. He advised AA had set it up for him to come to the residence through Snapchat. She told him there was a boy at the residence, but when he arrived there were three. In AA’s room, one of the guys blindsided him, started hitting him and he went unconscious. When CC woke up, they were telling him to get out and he left.
CC said he had a bump on the back of his head, was hit in the face and had injuries to his ribs. He said he had been vomiting and sleeping since the injury.
