Jacob Rice
Two weeks after a local man received a lengthy sentence for a crime spree that ended with a police-involved shooting, he was back in court for a change of plea hearing in another case.
A change of plea hearing was held Thursday in Bartholomew Circuit Court for Jacob Rice, 40, on four drug-related charges: dealing in a narcotic drug as a Level 2 felony, possession of a narcotic drug as a Level 3 felony, possession of methamphetamine as a Level 6 felony and unlawful possession of a syringe, a Level 6 felony.
If found guilty on all counts, Rice could face 14 to 51 years in prison, as well as fines of up to $30,000.
During the hearing Public defender Joe Villanueva of Greenwood reminded Judge Kelly Benjamin that it was only on Feb. 23 that she handed down a 36-year prison term.
He had been found guilty by a jury in a series of thefts that ended during the early morning hours of June 27, 2021, court records state. Rice had fired a stolen pistol in the direction of Columbus Police Sgt. Lukas Nibarger, who suspected Rice of planning a home burglary. The uninjured officer returned fire, wounding Rice in the leg.
During his sentencing, it was noted that the court found Rice to be a seriously violent and habitual offender, according to court records. Rice had been convicted 27 times, sent to prison six times, seen his probation revoked 18 times and demonstrated a violent tendency toward law enforcement officers, Benjamin said.
When all of that is put together, it allowed the judge to enhance last month’s sentence by adding an additional 20 years.
Villanueva said since his client is already facing a lengthy sentence, he wants to meet with prosecutors to determine what additional time might be appropriate if his client is found guilty of the drug charges.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Kimberly Sexton-Yeager had no objection to Villanueva’s request, so Benjamin assigned new court dates. Another change of plea hearing for Rice is scheduled for June 5 at 9:15 a.m., while a tentative trial date is set for June 18, beginning at 8:30 a.m.
In this case, on March 19, 2021, the Indiana State Police received a tip that Rice was in a Taylorsville motel room with fentanyl, methamphetamine and a large amount of cash, Indiana State Police said in a probable cause affidavit.
While Rice was not at the motel when Powell arrived, Trooper Jordan Craig saw Rice driving near 11th and Washington in Columbus, and stopped him for a license plate violation, the affidavit states.
During the stop, paraphernalia was found in the vehicle that later tested positive for methamphetamine, as well as a large amount of cash, Powell wrote. Although digital scales were seized, Powell wrote Rice was not taken into custody at that time.
Several ISP troopers were back at the hotel, examining a pile of sheets and trash collected from Rice’s room. Within the sheets were approximately 44 grams of suspected fentanyl and a quarter-gram of suspected methamphetamine. They were all in several small plastic bags stuffed inside a larger zip-lock bag, the affidavit states.
Later that day, when Rice tried unsuccessfully to get back into his motel room, he was taken into custody, the court document states. During questioning, Rice admitted to possessing about a half ounce (14 grams) of methamphetamine, as well as three bags containing other narcotics, hidden further down the pile of plastic bags, according to the probable cause affidavit.
During questioning, Rice said he had acquired the narcotics from a dealer in Indianapolis while staying at the motel, state police said.
