First trial to begin in Putnam home invasion

Justin Cherry

A relative rarity in Putnam County in recent years, a criminal jury trial is set to commence in Putnam Circuit Court at 9 a.m. on Monday.

Stranger still, Judge Matt Headley has four jury trials on the docket between now and the end of August — all four of them revolving around the same home invasion case.

Justin Cherry, 29, of Indianapolis, will be the first to go on trial for the April 2, 2017 robbery of the Madison Township home of Terry and Pat McCarter.

During the incident, four masked men held the McCarters at gunpoint for close to an hour while they ransacked their home. The men made off with prescriptions, checks, jewelry, a rifle, a handgun, a purse, wallet and cash and even the McCarters’ Buick Rendezvous.

Additionally, one of the men struck Terry McCarter in the temple area with the butt of either a rifle or shotgun.

Cherry’s trial is the result of a 14-month, multi-county investigation that has him facing 10 felony counts and three alleged cohorts facing 14 felonies each.

Cherry will face the most serious charge of Level 1 felony burglary, along with Level 2 felony burglary, Level 2 felony conspiracy to commit burglary, three Level 3 felony counts of armed robbery, Level 3 felony conspiracy to commit armed robbery, Level 3 felony criminal confinement, Level 6 felony theft and Level 6 felony auto theft.

If convicted on all counts and sentenced to serve maximum sentences consecutively, that’s a possibility of a 185-year sentence.

While it’s unlikely that Cherry ends up with the maximum possible sentence, his three alleged co-conspirators — 29-year-old Paul Reese, 32-year-old Charles Maybaum and 20-year-old Daltyn Randolph — and their attorneys are likely to be watching the results of Cherry’s case closely.

Each of these men faces an identical set of charges, in addition to four more, Level 5 felony burglary, Level 5 felony conspiracy to commit burglary, Level 6 felony theft and Level 6 felony conspiracy to commit theft.

That’s the possibility of an additional 18 years for each man, for a total of 203.

Maybaum also has a habitual offender enhancement tacked onto his set of charges.

Reese’s jury trial is set to begin on July 9, followed by Maybaum on Aug. 6 and Randolph on Aug. 20.

The web of burglaries extends beyond these four men and Putnam County, however.

Ashley Hillenburg, 23, Indianapolis, was also charged in the case with two counts of Level 5 felony corrupt business influence and Class A misdemeanor theft.

Hillenburg is alleged to have taken part after the fact, in that some of the items stolen from the residence were later recovered from an Indianapolis storage unit that she and Reese shared.

According to court documents, Hillenburg and Reese had a child together and were dating at the time of the incident.

Additionally, Reese, Maybaum, Hillenburg and 24-year-old Emily Nicole Redmon were all charged with multiple felonies for their alleged role in a home invasion in northern Owen County that bears a striking resemblance to the McCarter incident.

Because the stolen items were recovered in Indianapolis, several of the accused also face Marion County charges.

Cherry has been housed in the Putnam County Jail since May 27, when he was arrested and his original bond was revoked for failure to appear at an earlier hearing in this case.

Cherry also has pending cases in Marion County for two counts of illegal possession of a handgun by a felon and possession of methamphetamine.