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Goul charged in attempted robbery
A Greencastle man was formally charged Friday in connection with an attempted armed robbery at College Inn in Greencastle.
Richie A Goul, 20, is facing charges of Class B felony attempted armed robbery and Class D felony attempted theft. According to court documents, Goul pulled a knife on a night auditor at College Inn late Wednesday night and demanded money.
Goul is being held without bond in the Putnam County Jail. His next court appearance, a pretrial conference, is set for Aug. 31.
The alleged victim said she was completing paperwork in the front office area of College Inn when the night service bell began ringing. She told police she looked out the window of her office door and saw man who was "tall and skinny with a beard on his chin."
The alleged victim said she unlocked the door and opened it a crack to see what the man wanted. At that point, she said, the man told her to "give me your cash register" and pushed a knife toward the alleged victim's neck.
The alleged victim said she "panicked and pushed the door shut," knocking the man backward. She said she saw him flee southbound in the direction of Hanna Street.
A narrative prepared by Greencastle Police Department Officer Matthew Huffman said Huffman observed Goul in the area of South Bloomington and Hanna streets on Wednesday night.
"Several seconds later, Putnam County Dispatch advised that there had been an attempted armed robbery at the College Inn," Huffman wrote. "I advised that I was in the area and had observed a male walking from that area and that he was possibly westbound on Hanna Street."
Moments later, Huffman located Goul at the Colonial Arms Apartments on Illinois Street. Huffman asked Goul for identification, but Goul said he had none, court documents said.
Huffman advised dispatch that he was with a subject he thought might have been involved in the attempted robbery. Dispatch provided Huffman with a description of the robbery suspect, and Huffman felt the description was similar enough to Goul to detain him.
Goul identified himself and "asked why he was being handcuffed," court documents said. A portable breath test showed Goul had a blood alcohol content of .153 percent.
Officers did not find the knife allegedly used in the robbery when they conducted a pat-down search on Goul. A short time later, a knife matching the description given by the alleged victim was found under a bush in front of the Colonial Arms Apartments, court documents said.
Officers brought the alleged victim to the apartments. She was placed in the back of a police cruiser, and officers asked Goul to stand in front of the vehicle. The alleged victim identified Goul as the man who tried to rob her, court records said.
"She later commented that she was 100 percent sure," Huffman's narrative said.
If convicted on both charges, Goul could face up to 23 years in prison.
At the time of his arrest, Goul was already on probation on June conviction for Class A misdemeanor domestic battery. A petition to revoke his probation was filed on Thursday. He also had a Class C misdemeanor charge of illegal consumption of an alcoholic beverage pending against him.