A 19-year-old local woman accused of sneaking into Central Middle School and stealing three cell phones and a backpack from a locker room made her first court appearance in Bartholomew Superior Court 1.
Alexis R. Daniels, 19, of 1901 W. Northgate Drive, has been formally charged with three counts of theft, all Level 6 felonies, court documents state. Those charges were filed in Bartholomew Superior Court after the Aug. 13 thefts from the Central girl’s locker room.
On Monday, the defendant arrived several minutes late for her initial court hearing. After advising Daniels of the charges against her, as well as reading her rights, Judge James Worton set three court dates:
Change of plea hearing: 10:30 a.m. Jan. 27
Pre-trial conference: 11 a.m. Feb. 10
Jury trial: 8:30 a.m. Feb. 25
Daniels could face up to seven-and-a-half years in prison, as well as fines of up to $30,000 if convicted of all three felonies.
A probable cause affidavit filed Aug. 23 by two investigating Columbus Police officers, Eric Kapczynski and Brian Kushman, provided additional details on the case not previously released to the public.
The initial complaint from Central Middle School, 725 Seventh St., was made the morning of Aug. 13 concerning a possible stolen bicycle, Kapczynski wrote.
But when staff member Marisa Willment called school resource officer Sgt. Julie Quesenbery, Willment’s main concern was a young female seen leaving the Central campus on a bicycle just as morning classes were getting underway, the affidavit stated.
Surveillance video shows the female suspect, later identified as Daniels, entering through the school’s Door 2 at 7:30 a.m. when many students entered for the day. The female remained in the nearby bathroom until the bell rang, and then walked around the school looking for things to possibly steal, according to the probable cause affidavit.
While police confirmed the bicycle had not been reported stolen from the middle school, Kushman wrote that he recognized Daniels from a previous call of a possible stolen bike in the area of the Bartholomew County Library.
It was after Quesenbery radioed for all available units to check the area for Daniels that Kapczynski arrived at the Central campus, the affidavit states. The officer found three students in the front office who all said their cell phones had been stolen from the downstairs girls’ locker room.
Only one of the three victims said she had placed her cell phone in a locker. The other two female students said their phones were left outside their lockers in their backpacks, the affidavit stated.
One stolen cell phone was first tracked by pinging it to Columbus North High School before it was seen moving south along Central Avenue, the affidavit stated. The phone then crossed to the east side of Haw Creek, and became stationary near the Foundation for Youth (FFY), 405 Hope Avenue, Kapzynski wrote.
In a supplemental report, Kushman wrote that as he approached the FFY, he saw a young female get out of a silver or light-colored Jeep Cherokee in the Five Points area near the Cummins Tech Center.
As the officer approached the SUV, Daniels quickly walked away, while the Jeep Cherokee drove north on Hope Avenue, Kushman wrote.
Kushman watched as the female stopped next to a small fence and dropped items over the other side, the affidavit stated. But the officer was able to quickly recover those items, which were confirmed to be the three stolen cell phones, Kushman wrote in the affidvit.
Neither the stolen backpack nor the Jeep Cherokee, which was being driven by a man Daniels identified as Michael Gooden, have been located, the affidavit stated. But since the young female matched the description of the suspect at Central, Kushman felt he had probable cause to arrest Daniels and take her to the Bartholomew County Jail.
During the drive, Daniels heard an emergency dispatch that stated a fourth stolen cell phone could be in the Edinburgh area, Kapzynski wrote.
That prompted Daniels, who had earlier refused to talk to police after being given her Miranda rights, to immediately tell the officers she had only taken three phones, the affidavit stated.
While Daniels remain free under a program that allows offenders to be released without having to post bond, Worton has issued an order that forbids her from being on any school property in Bartholomew County.
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Court records detailed the items stolen from a girls locker room at Central Middle School on Aug. 13.
- Apple Iphone7 with flower case. Approximate value: $300.
- Apple Iphone 8 with blue case with flower design. Approximate value: $450.
- Apple Iphone 6S with glitter case. Approximate value: $150.
- Pink Nike back pack. Approximate value: $40.
While all the cell phones have been returned to their owners, the pink backpack has not be recovered, police say.
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