Would-be robber gets maximum sentence
GREENCASTLE -- On Monday, Putnam County Superior Court Judge Denny Bridges handed a Greencastle man the maximum sentence for an attempted robbery.
Richie A. Goul, 20, was sentenced to eight years at the Indiana Department of Correction after being convicted of Class C felony robbery.
Bridges ordered that Goul would execute the entire sentence. Goul could receive one day of credit for each day he serves without incident in prison.
Goul was originally charged with Class B felony attempted robbery and Class D felony attempted theft. Convictions on those charges could have netted him 23 years behind bars.
Goul tried to rob a night auditor at College Inn in Greencastle on July 8. Court records said Goul brandished a knife and demanded money. The victim, who said she opened a door at the hotel after Goul rang the night service bell. The victim said Goul put a knife to her throat.
The victim said she was able to shut the door on Goul. He then fled the scene on foot and the victim called the police.
Goul was formally charged on July 10.
Goul was already on probation for a June conviction for Class A misdemeanor battery when he was arrested for the robbery. A charge of Class C misdemeanor illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor was also pending against him.
When he was arrested shortly after the incident, court records said, he had a blood alcohol content of .153 percent. The victim positively identified Goul as the man who tried to rob her.
Goul has been held without bond at the Putnam County Jail since his arrest. All the time he has served will be credited toward his DOC time.