Two men who were facing criminal charges in local courts have pled guilty and been sentenced on charges including robbery and pointing a firearm at another person.
The Daily Journal has previously reported on these cases and is sharing this update to give resolution to our earlier reporting on crime in the community.
Vape shop robbery
An Indianapolis man will spend four years in prison after robbing a Greenwood vape shop in May.
Marcus L. Johnson, 27, pled guilty to burglary as a Level 5 felony before Johnson County Superior Court 3 Judge Douglas Cummins on July 20. He was sentenced the same day to four years in prison with a 72-day jail credit, according to online court records.
As part of a plea agreement, charges of resisting law enforcement as a Level 6 felony and leaving the scene of an accident with bodily injury were dismissed. Prosecutors also refrained from filing a habitual offender enhancement, online records show.
On May 9, Greenwood police were called to the Vape & Smoke Shop, 11 Declaration Drive, on a report of a robbery in progress. Johnson was seen leaving the store with trash bags full of items, and stole nearly $10,000 in merchandise during the burglary, prosecutors say.
Johnson and another man, Daylon L. Hall Jr., were seen getting into a vehicle that fled the scene. When officers found the vehicle on U.S. 31, it fled at a high rate of speed after an attempted traffic stop, according to a Greenwood Police Department report.
The driver, Johnson, was driving in a manner police described as “reckless.” When the car reached Stop 18 Road, police say it did a full circle turn in the middle of the intersection before going east on Stop 18 Road.
At the intersection of Stop 18 Road and Profit Street, the sedan struck an SUV and continued to flee eastbound. The driver of the SUV reported severe pain, police say.
The sedan then turned north onto Sheek Road. As the car approached the curve at Sheek Road and Main Street, it lost control and crashed into the parking lot of White Castle. Two men jumped out of the car and fled on foot, according to the report.
Johnson was caught immediately. Hall allegedly ran north across Main Street into the parking lot of Best Western, where he was captured, the report says.
Before police began to question Johnson, he began to laugh about the situation. He also reportedly said he is a “real gangster” and is “about this life,” the report says.
Police say Johnson also allegedly said he knew he was caught when officers saw his car pulling out onto U.S. 31 after leaving the vape shop, so he figured he would lead them on a chase. He also said he hoped officers would eventually stop chasing him.
Johnson also told police the car was stolen, and police later found the car was reported stolen in Texas. He allegedly told police he stole the car from his mother after an argument, according to the report.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Prosecutor Stephanie Caraway. Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner said he considers the sentence another warning to criminals who come from out of the county to commit crimes here.
“Regardless of what kind of sentences you’ve grown accustomed to elsewhere, if you come here to break in and steal, you’re going to prison for a long time,” he said in a statement.
Criminal charges were also filed against Hall, and his case is still pending.
February police standoff
A Greenwood man will be on probation for more than a year after being sentenced on charges connected to reported burglary-turned-police standoff earlier this year.
Elijah Jacob Brissey, 24, pled guilty to pointing a firearm at another person and possession of a narcotic drug, both Level 6 felonies, and invasion of privacy, a misdemeanor, before Johnson County Superior Court 2 Judge Peter Nugent on Aug. 3. He received a two-year sentence, of which 316 days were ordered to be served in jail with the remaining 414 days to be served on probation. While on probation, Brissey must stay off drugs, stay off alcohol, complete mental health treatment and attend domestic violence classes, according to the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office.
As part of a plea agreement, charges of stalking as a Level 5 felony and possession of a controlled substance as a misdemeanor were dismissed. The firearm used by Brissey during the incident was also ordered forfeited, prosecutors said.
Brissey was arrested following an investigation by Greenwood police into a reported burglary in progress on the 1200 block of Beacon Pointe Drive in February. A woman had called 911 to say Brissey had tried to break into her apartment and pointed a gun at her before fleeing the scene. Brissey also violated a protection order during the incident, according to a Greenwood Police Department report.
When police caught up to Brissey at a home in the Barton Farms subdivision, they found his car which had recently been moved. Officers surrounded the house and ordered everyone out. Two people left the home, but Brissey and a child were still inside. This eventually led to a SWAT team call out because Brissey refused to exit.
After two hours, Brissey eventually agreed to let the child out of the house and he exited as well. Later, police searched his car and found drug paraphernalia, marijuana wax THC, fentanyl, mushrooms, multiple rifles and a handgun. The pistol, which was reportedly used at the apartment, had one round in the chamber, according to the report.
Police also found an AR-15-style rifle with no identifiable markings or serial number under Brissey’s bed. It also had a hollowed-out trigger chamber, the report shows.
Brissey said he was at the apartment to scope out of the area and see whose car was at the woman’s apartment. The woman described Brissey’s behavior as “stalkerish” to police, the report shows.
He said he did not have a gun on him and knocked on the window using a phone. He also told police the window to the apartment was already torn up when he arrived, according to the report.
The victim involved in this case was set to be excluded from testifying at trial after failing to show up for multiple court-ordered depositions. The woman also requested that a no-contact order protecting her from Brissey be terminated as part of the disposition of the case, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Prosecutor Brianna Acker.
“I’m proud of the efforts of Deputy Prosecutor Brianna Acker. Despite the major evidentiary hurdles she faced, serious consequences for Brissey were nevertheless achieved,” Prosecutor Lance Hamner said.
A firearms review hearing in the case is set for Sept. 21, online court records show.
