An Indianapolis man has admitted that he committed an armed robbery on the Fourth of July in Taylorsville.
After accepting a plea agreement, Nino Pullins, 20, pleaded guilty in Bartholomew Superior Court 1 to armed robbery as a Level 3 felony.
Pullins faces up to 16 years in prison when he is sentenced by Judge Jim Worton at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 16.
The 6 a.m. robbery took place as a 56-year-old man was walking near the Edinburgh Premium Outlets, Edinburgh Deputy Police Chief David Lutz said.
The female driver of a car — later identified as Jacqueline Montgomery, 21, of Indianapolis — stopped near the man and made a sexual proposition to him, Lutz said.
As the 56-year-old victim walked away, Pullins got out of the back seat of the car, pulled out a gun and pointed the weapon at the man’s chest, Lutz said.
During the confrontation, Pullins became agitated and raised the gun to the victim’s face, Lutz said. Pullins then got back in Montgomery’s car after taking the man’s cellphone and less than $20 in cash, the deputy police chief said.
After the victim immediately notified police, Johnson County sheriff deputies spotted Montgomery’s vehicle speeding on the south side of Franklin. The occupants were pulled over to the side of U.S. 31 and taken into custody.
On Tuesday, Montgomery plead guilty to assisting a criminal as a Level 6 felony. She could receive up to 30 months in jail when sentenced by Worton at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 2.
When apprehended, Pullins was considered especially dangerous because he was one of two men charged with murder and robbery in connection with the July 20, 2015, killing of a 16-year-old Indianapolis resident, Lutz said.
Pullins and Demetrius Woodson originally were accused of killing Bryvonte Lee during an argument over the price of a shotgun, according to news accounts.
However, all charges against Pullins were dismissed three months after Lee’s death. Last July, a Marion County jury acquitted Woodson of all related charges.
Less than three weeks after being arrested for the Taylorsville robbery, prosecutors in Indianapolis filed charges against Pullins in connection with a June 1 incident.
These Marion County charges are similar to what Pullins admits doing in Bartholomew County: robbery at a Level 3 felony, and pointing a firearm at another person as a Level 6 felony.
A pretrial conference for Pullins is set for Dec. 20 in Marion County Superior Court, Criminal Division 3, with a jury trial tentatively scheduled for Jan. 4.
