Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013

Suspect pleads not guilty

Trevin Sanders Roark charged in Fort Recovery area murders

By Margie Wuebker
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard

Trevin Sanders Roark confers with court-appointed attorney Jose Lopez of Troy during an arraignment hearing Tuesday afternoon in Mercer County Common Pleas Court. The 19-year-old Union City man faces 27 charges in connection with the November 2011 murders of Robert and Colleen Grube.

Trevin Sanders Roark, a 19-year-old Union City man charged with murder in the November 2011 shootings of Robert and Colleen Grube, pleaded not guilty to 27 charges Tuesday afternoon in Mercer County Common Pleas Court.
Sanders Roark also waived his right to speedy trial with Judge Jeffrey Ingraham explaining constitutional requirements stipulate a trial must proceed within 270 days of charges being filed. However, each day the defendant spends in jail counts as three, so Sanders Roark's trial would have had to commence by Sept. 12.
Ingraham scheduled an Aug. 2 attorney conference giving appointed co-counsels Jose and Jay Lopez of Miami County time to review "voluminous" amounts of material compiled during the 16-month investigation. Following the conference, the judge will set the first pretrial hearing.
The charges include multiple counts of aggravated murder, murder, involuntary manslaughter, aggravated burglary, kidnapping by virtue of restraining the victims, aggravated robbery, burglary and theft, all with firearm specifications. They range from first-degree felonies to a first-degree misdemeanor.
Heightened courtroom security was used Tuesday. All spectators passed through a metal detector and had their purses or backpacks checked. Jail administrator Mark Heinl used a long-handled mirror to check beneath seats and the defense table before the defendant was brought in. The search turned up nothing.
Representatives of the Grube family sat on one side of the courtroom while the defendant's mother, Tracey Riley, and two female companions sat on the other.
Sanders Roark did not look at either side while being led into and out of the courtroom. He stared ahead and grimaced from time to time.
He remains incarcerated on a $5 million cash bond.
Sanders Roark, who was 17 at the time of the murders, first appeared in Mercer County Juvenile Court with Judge Mary Pat Zitter ruling June 7 that he be tried as an adult.
He is not eligible for the death penalty due to his age at the time of the crimes.
Sanders Roark allegedly used the gun he and co-defendant Bryant Rhoades found under Robert Grube's bed to shoot 47-year-old Colleen Grube. He reportedly told authorities that 22-year-old Rhoades, who is also from the Union City area, then shot 70-year-old Robert Grube.
The men, along with an unidentified man and woman, allegedly went to the Grube home Nov. 29-30 to take prescription medication they knew Robert Grube possessed, as well as cash, electronics and anything else that could be used to obtain money. They allegedly restrained the wheelchair-bound father and his daughter with duct tape before ransacking the home.
Grand jurors also returned 27 charges against Rhoades on June 13. He previously was charged with obstructing justice in the case.   
Rhoades remains incarcerated on a $5 million cash bond pending a July 23 pretrial hearing. He waived his right to speedy trial June 18 during a combined initial appearance and arraignment before Ingraham.
Additional online stories on this date
$2.1M in budget to pay for plan to help Grand Lake
CELINA - The state's new two-year budget includes $2.1 million for the development of a treatment train at Coldwater Creek.
The funds to create lit [More]
Mercer County ACME Sectional Tournament
COLDWATER - After two days of rainouts, action finally got underway at the Mercer County ACME sectional tournament on Tuesday at Veterans Field in Coldwater. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
$500,000 will pay for sheriff's office dispatch items, service through 2027
CELINA - Mercer County officials on Tuesday approved a request from the sheriff's office to purchase radio dispatch equipment and service through 2027 for nearly $500,000.
ST. MARYS - A sixth-grade social studies teacher and former varsity football and track coach at St. Marys was hired Tuesday as the new athletic director.
ROCKFORD - The village may purchase property on North Street to use as park space.
Mayor Amy Joseph said the owner of the two lots - one with a house trailer and the other empty - approached her with the proposal to sell the two parcels each for $7,500.
MINSTER - Improvements are continuing at Minster Machine Centennial Park, village council members learned Tuesday night.
Village administrator Don
Business under new ownership; amenities include sandwich shop, dry cleaner
NEW BREMEN - Construction on the newest location for a longstanding area grocer is underway at the Amsterdam Plaza in New Bremen.
The former Howell
CELINA - Tuesday's late afternoon storm provided too much rain for Montgomery Field and the Grand Lake Mariners matchup against the Hamilton Joes was cancelled.
Auglaize County ACME Sectional Tournament
MINSTER - The Minster Wildcats became the first team from Auglaize County's sectional to qualify for the District 4 ACME tournament after scoring four times in the bottom of the sixth inning to defeat Wapakoneta 5-3 in the winner's bracket championship game on Tuesday night at Hanover Street Park.
Local Roundup
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
St. Henry's Junior ACME team held off a late New Bremen charge to pick up a 7-4 win in the sectional tournament to earn a spot in the district tournament that begins on Saturday in Rockford.
Hank Williams Jr. joins forces with Gregg Allman at Kettering concert
KETTERING - Concert-goers got hearty helpings of Southern musical styles and Dixie pride with the pairing of Gregg Allman and Hank Williams Jr. on Saturday night at the Fraze Pavilion.