Jacob Rice
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. Rice was hospitalized for a gunshot wound after the incident.
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.
Rice has been arrested in Bartholomew County six times for resisting, obstructing or interfering with a law enforcement officer since 2004. He received a four-year prison term after punching an officer several times in the face on Oct. 2, 2017. At the time, Rice was being taken into custody for two outstanding arrest warrants.
In separate cases last winter,Rice is charged with dealing in a narcotic drug with intent to deliver as a Level 2 felony, possession of a narcotic drug as a Level 3 felony and possession of methamphetamine as a Level 6 felony for alleged crimes occurring on March 19. Two-and-a-half weeks earlier — on March 2 — Rice was accused of possession of a syringe — a Level 6 felony.
Meanwhile, Rice remains incarcerated at the Bartholomew County Jail in lieu of $780,000 surety or 10% cash. Jail records show bond for the defendant is now $30,000 higher than what was established during his initial hearing. The bond was raised after an additional warrant of unlawful possession of a syringe was filed as a Level 6 felony, jail commander Maj. John Martoccia said.
