Couch pleads guilty; sentencing set for September
GREENCASTLE -- One of four co-defendants allegedly involved in an April shooting incident has pled guilty to two of the five charges against her.
Lacey Ann Couch, 24, of Greencastle has been charged with Class C felonies assisting a criminal and Class D felonies receiving stolen property, resisting law enforcement, criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon and neglect of a dependent.
Couch pled guilty to the resisting and neglect charges, which are each punishable by up to three years in prison. If the court accepts the terms of the plea agreement that has been presented, the other charges against Couch will be dropped.
Judge Matthew Headley set Couch's sentencing for Sept. 9.
Couch was arrested on April 8, and has been in jail since. Her bond was set at $20,000 with 10 percent allowed.
Couch's co-defendants are Justin Hargrove, 24, of Greencastle and Keven Crowe, 19 and Michael Pryor, 18, both of Coatesville.
Hargrove is charged with attempted murder and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon; Pryor and Crowe are charged with criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, assisting a criminal and receiving stolen property. All three remain in jail and are set for final pretrial conferences on Aug. 19 and jury trials on Sept. 8.
On April 5, several calls reporting shots fired in the area of Walnut Street in Greencastle came into Putnam County Dispatch just before 2 a.m. One caller was able to give dispatchers a description of the car from which the shots were being fired.
Just after 2 a.m., Putnam County Sheriff's Department Reserve Deputy Matt Biggs saw a vehicle matching the description of the shooter's vehicle at the intersection of Bloomington and Washington streets. Biggs began driving behind the vehicle and attempted to make a traffic stop at the intersection of Franklin and Durham streets.
At that point, court records alleged Hargrove exited the vehicle and fired approximately two or three rounds at Biggs' police vehicle. One round struck the police vehicle's hood and ricocheted into the windshield.
Biggs was not injured.
Couch was the driver of the vehicle used in the incident.
A manhunt ensued for the shooters, and Greencastle Schools were closed for the day.