CIRCUIT COURT: Martin appointed legal counsel

Sep. 28—GOSHEN — One of two men accused of going on a crime spree in Dunlap two years ago was appointed a public defender for a scheduled June 7 trial date.

Steven Martin, 53, South Bend, is one of two men accused of robbing Ulta and Meijer Sept. 27, 2021. The duo is accused of taking $1,241 worth of products including hair dryers and cologne from Ulta Beauty, 3818 Midway Road, Gohen; a cart full of alcohol and cologne totaling $1,249 from Meijer, 4522 Elkhart Road, Goshen; and pepper spraying employees at both stores who attempted to stop him.

Surveillance at both locations and Lowes during the day revealed a black Jeep found to be owned by a girlfriend of one of Martin's friends, the woman told police.

Martin was arrested Sept. 22 on a bench warrant. Martin has prior theft convictions for a case in 2019.

JACK BYRER

A burglary suspect, Jack Byrer, 32, entered a plea agreement Thursday during circuit court. Byrer, with a jury trial scheduled for Oct. 2, has been hoping to come to an agreement quickly, but terms in his plea agreement filed last week, Elkhart County Circuit Court Judge Michael Christofeno said he couldn't accept.

Byrer was arrested in February for a burglary that took place Aug. 9, 2022. His initial hearing wasn't until early September. As a result, Byrer had filed, without an attorney, a motion for speedy trial. Byrer explained to the judge that he requested a speedy trial because he is currently incarcerated at Westville Correctional Facility with multiple charges out of multiple counties, and he was told that the best option to get in front of the judge was to file it.

According to the Elkhart County Sheriff's Office, a woman contacted them Aug. 22, 2022, to report items taken from her personal storage unit at 68247 Ind. 15. Surveillance footage from New Paris Storage for Aug. 9 showed a man driving a U-Haul pick-up truck driving from the storage unit with multiple items in the bed of the truck.

A detective met with Byrer at Kosciusko County Jail, where he asked for a lawyer and allegedly acknowledged renting the truck and taking the items because he was high.

Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 2.

JA LIAHS M. CURRY

An Elkhart man accused of murder had his criminal defense attorney Jesicca Merino withdraw from his case Thursday court proceedings. A public defender was appointed.

Ja Liahs Curry is charged with murder, criminal recklessness firing into a building, and domestic battery by means of a deadly weapon from a shooting on Feb. 11, 2023. According to a probable cause affidavit, 911 received the call at 5:16 a.m. Feb. 11 advising that there was a fight outside his apartment and moments later, the caller told officers he heard three gunshots.

Elkhart Police officers were dispatched to North River Landing Apartments, 2301 W. Lexington Ave. At the scene, they found Thomas Johnson, who had been shot and later died at the hospital.

Curry's girlfriend initially told officers that she'd attempted to intervene in a fight involving another man and woman and she fled after being injured, but she eventually admitted that the fight was between her and her boyfriend, Curry, whom she said had kicked, punched, and pistol-whipped her before she escaped, according to court documents.

She told officers that she and Curry got into a fight because he wanted to drive home from a friend's apartment, but she believed he was drunk and refused. Later on, Curry reportedly called the woman to apologize for the battery and told him that he'd gone back to his home and that he knew the incident resulted in a death.

Curry was arrested at his home at 608 1/2 N. Second St., Goshen, at 11:45 a.m. Saturday, hours after the incident.

Curry had several cases that were transferred to the circuit court, and as a result, also has two attorneys. Heidi Cintron is now dividing the cases with the public defender, a total of nine misdemeanor cases and two lower-level felony cases.

Elkhart County Circuit Court Judge Michael Christofeno also warned Curry against writing letters to the court asking for certain motions, considering that he has attorneys. He told Curry that he does not act on them given that Curry is not a self-represented litigant.

A trial status conference is scheduled for Dec. 14. Curry's trial is for May 6, with a status conference April 11.

ANNA BLACKMON

In an uncommon scenario, the probation department recommended a bond reduction for an Elkhart County woman accused of arson.

According to police, Anna Blackmon, 34, Elkhart, told police that on Dec. 7, she'd light the trailer behind a van at 1000 W. Marion St., on fire to get back at her previous landlord, owner of B.A.B. Rentals, Marcia Bechtel. Blackmon told police she gathered reusable and disposable signs into a bucket and sprayed them with bug spray before lighting them on fire inside the open trailer, which also had landscaping tools and light fixtures in it, to get back at Bechtel for taking advantage of and scamming her.

In May, defense said Blackmon was scheduled for interviews to determine if her bond would be lowered, but she was in the medical ward and missed them. Her bond hearing was reset to Sept. 28.

Blackmon's bond was reduced to $1,500 corporate surety. Her jury trial is scheduled for Jan. 8.

JASON L. BLACKMAN, Jr.

One of two teens accused of an armed robbery and carjacking in Brookside Manor met with the court on Thursday to confirm his April 1 trial date.

Police say Jason Blackman Jr., 19, along with Kemountae Coleman, 17, both of Chicago, were identified following a report of two armed men stealing another man's truck at gunpoint at 3:40 a.m. Dec. 12, 2021.

While responding to the dispatch, an Elkhart County deputy reportedly located the stolen truck as it drove north on Old C.R. 17 near C.R. 28. The deputy engaged his emergency lights and ordered the driver of the truck to stop, but the driver, identified as Coleman, reportedly disregarded the order and proceeded to lead police on a three-mile chase that ended on C.R. 13 when the truck crashed into a utility pole in the NAPA Auto Parts parking lot.

Following the crash, Coleman and Blackman reportedly fled the scene on foot before eventually being taken into custody.

Coleman was sentenced by plea bargain to felony armed robbery and resisting law enforcement on May 5, for Count 1 Armed Robbery, a Level 3 Felony, to 12 years with five years suspended, to be served on reporting probation; and Count 3 Resisting Law Enforcement, a Level 6 Felony, to 365 days. A third charge, auto theft, a Level 6 felony, was dismissed.

Blackman's public defender also indicated hopes for a resolution soon.

Dani Messick is the education and entertainment reporter for The Goshen News. She can be reached at dani.messick@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2065.