Nicholas James Thomas, 19, Greenfield
HANCOCK COUNTY — One of the Greenfield teenagers accused of armed robbery from an incident in late July of 2022 had his case settled via a plea agreement this week in Hancock County Superior Court 1.
Nicholas James Thomas, who is now 19, 1000 block of W. Walnut Street, was facing a Level 3 felony count of armed robbery, a Level 6 felony count of auto theft and a Level 6 felony charge of pointing a firearm at another, with the most serious charge carrying up to 16 years in prison.
However, a plea agreement requested for Thomas to admit guilt to a new Level 5 felony count of robbery. The plea agreement called for Thomas to get a three-year total sentence with a cap of one year to be executed, which was open to placement after argument by the parties. Thus, the maximum executed time Judge D.J. Davis could sentence Thomas to was one year executed. Davis noted Kevin Minnick, the Behavior Health Court (BHC) Coordinator, and he discussed the sentencing of Thomas after an evaluation of his mental health and substance abuse, and it was determined Thomas would benefit from being in BHC.
Davis thus accepted the three years with one year to be executed through Hancock County Community Corrections (HCCC) Home Detention program and was given credit for 195 days served. Thomas was to report to the program immediately and enter BHC for the remainder of his sentence. He was ordered to appear as soon as this Friday in BHC.
As part of the plea deal, the original three charges were dismissed against Thomas.
Thomas is one of three county teenagers who, according to a probable cause affidavit, robbed another person a little over a year ago. Officials from the Greenfield Police Department were called to the 1000 block of W. Walnut St. July 2022, a report stated.
A victim told officials Thomas, along with Joshua Charles McCarty Jr., who is now 19, 3000 block of East 600N, and Jaykob Neice, who is now 17, 100 block of South Center Street, Maxwell, were dressed in black hoodies when they entered the victim’s vehicle.
Thomas, the report stated, 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.”
While Thomas has now been officially sentenced, McCarty’s case is making its way through the court system with court records showing a plea agreement has been filed but has yet to be approved. Neice’s case was settled by a plea agreement in June. Neice was given 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 were to be served on HCCC Home Detention program and the other 176 were suspended to probation.
Due to Neice being a juvenile at the time of the crime, 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.
