Rice
A local man accused of attempted murder after he allegedly fired a stolen gun at a city police officer is set to stand trial next month.
Bartholomew Circuit Judge Kelly Benjamin on Monday set a three-day trial to begin Dec. 13 for Jacob D. Rice, 39. Benjamin ordered prosecution and defense attorneys to submit final witness lists ahead of the trial date.
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 2021 as the officer was investigating suspicious activity in the 3300 block of Grove Parkway in the Forest Park neighborhood.
In a probable cause affidavit, 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.
Rice is charged with attempted murder as a Level 1 felony, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon as a Level 4 felony, Level 6 felony criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon and two counts of Level 6 felony theft.
Court records show Rice has been arrested in Bartholomew County six times for resisting, obstructing or interfering with a law enforcement officer since 2004, in addition to multiple drug-related arrests. He previously 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.
