COURT NEWS: Murder trial to get underway Aug. 12
Jul. 25—GOSHEN — A murder suspect's jury trial was moved to the top of the trial calendar during Elkhart County Superior Court 3 proceedings on Thursday.
The jury trial of Roosevelt Lewis Jr., 39, remains scheduled for Aug. 12, but was moved up past around half a dozen cases, as attorneys explained to Judge Teresa Cataldo that the majority of those plaintiffs have entered plea agreements or will be rescheduling.
Lewis is accused of the murder of Tom Moser III Sept. 21. His case is technically in Circuit Court, but Cataldo will preside as a special judge.
According to a probable cause affidavit of the case, the call came in at 3:24 a.m. for sounds of gunfire at 516 S. Fifth St., Elkhart, and a man running from the scene. Police found Lewis Roosevelt nearby in clothing matching the original witness description, which was jeans and a sweatshirt, and attempted to stop him, but he refused and was tased, according to a probably cause affidavit. They also found the body of Moser, who appeared to have been shot numerous times, in the entryway of the apartment home at 516 S. Fifth St.
Lewis was charged with murder, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, criminal recklessness, intimidation, and resisting law enforcement. The prosecuting attorney also noted that they would be filing a firearms enhancement.
Lewis was also charged with an attempted murder in 2003.
DOMENICK R. BUTLER
A man was arrested after Bikers Against Predators contacted Goshen police to report that Domenick R. Butler, 41, allegedly attempted to meet up with a 13-year-old girl.
Butler told police that he was using the app Meet Me and said his profile acknowledged that he was 39-years-old, when he and a girl named "Payton" who said she was 18 years old began chatting.
Butler said he messaged her saying they could smoke and mess around and got her phone number to move the conversation to texting. Later on, "Payton" said she was "almost 14," but Butler after seeing a photograph told her she looked much older and asked to hang out and they agreed to hang out at Rogers Park on May 13, 2023, the probable cause affidavit reads.
He also allegedly asked to confirm if they were actually going to mess around. Butler reportedly told police that he intended to see her ID to confirm she was older than she claimed when he arrived.
While being taken into custody, police said Butler began having a seizure, which resulted in injuries to several officers involved. After being cleared at the hospital, en route to the jail, police said he caused damage to the police vehicle.
The prosecuting attorney told the judge that while they typically don't endorse civilians investigating crimes, groups like Bikers Against Predators allow a more preventative crime, as no real victims are involved.
Butler was sentenced by plea agreement to a total of five years, but he won't serve the majority of them in prison. He was sentenced to five years with three suspended on reporting probation for child solicitation, a Level 4 felony; two years on probation to be served concurrently for battery against a public safety officer, a Level 6 felony; and one year on probation to be served concurrently for resisting law enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor.
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.
