Oats
COLUMBUS, Ind. — A local teenager accused of wounding four people in a drive-by shooting near the Lincoln Park basketball court made his first appearance in Bartholomew Superior Court 1 Wednesday.
Edmarius Malik Oats, 18, of 3464 Old Field Lane, is accused of shooting Gavin Hardin, 18; Tyler Hamm, 23 and two juveniles, ages 16 and 17, on May 23. The juveniles were referred to in court only by their initials.
Oats is charged with attempted murder as a Level 1 felony, as well as four separate counts of Level 3 felony aggravated battery when the assault posses a substantial risk of death. If convicted on all counts, Oats faces a potential prison sentence of between 32 to 114 years, as well as up to $50,000 in fines.
Dressed in blue jail garb and frequently looking down toward the jail floor during the video conferenced hearing, Oats told Judge James orton he was planning on hiring his own attorney. But when the defendant learned bond has been set at $5 million surety or $500,000 cash, he asked if an attorney could be appointed to represent him during a bond reduction hearing.
Worton recommended that Oats wait until he was confident he had legal representation before seeking a bond reduction. The judge gave the defendant until July 26 to secure legal council.
Other court dates include a change of plea hearing at 10 a.m. on Sept. 11, a pre-trial conference at 11 a.m. on Sept. 25, and a tentative date for the start of his trial on Oct. 10 at 8:30 a.m.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
