COLUMBUS, Ind. — A local man accused of attempted murder involving a police officer and other charges will be represented by a public defender.
Jacob D. Rice, 38, will be represented by public defender Michael DeArmitt during his upcoming hearings on charges of attempted murder, as well as eight other felonies, Special Judge Roger Duvall said.
Upcoming key court dates include a change of plea hearing or pre-trial conference on Jan. 3, as well as a tentative jury trial on Feb. 1.
Beginning in August, six previous hearings were held in Bartholomew Circuit Court regarding legal representation for the defendant. Rice repeatedly asked the court for more time to secure the services of a private attorney.
But in appointing a public defender, Duvall of Scott County concluded Rice does not have sufficient finances to hire his own lawyer.
Rice, who was residing in the 700 block of Reed St. when arrested, is accused of firing a handgun at Columbus Police Sgt. Lukas Nibarger in early June as the officer was investigating suspicious activity in the 3300 block of Grove Parkway in the Forest Park neighborhood.
In a probable cause affidavit, investigators with the Indiana State Police state it appears Rice, who was caught looking through a house window at about 4 a.m., fired while Nibarger was identifying himself as a law enforcement officer. In the exchange of gunfire, Rice was hit and later hospitalized in Indianapolis.
In connection with the incident in Forest Park, Rice is charged with attempted murder as a Level 1 felony, criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon as a Level 6 felony and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon as a Level 4 felony.
The defendant is also accused of stealing the handgun involved in the Grove Parkway incident, as well as a bicycle, shortly before the shooting. Rice is also charged with two Level 6 felony counts of theft.
For the complete story, see Wednesday’s Republic.
