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[ PREVIOUS STORIES ]

09-12-03 3 charged with trying to rob Celina man

By MARGIE WUEBKER
mwuebker@dailystandard.com

Three Kentucky residents who apparently followed a Celina man all the way from Lawrenceburg, Ind., have been charged with first-degree felonies in connection with an attempted armed robbery early Wednesday morning at his residence.
Jeffrey L. Shouse, 27, of Covington, Ky., appeared this morning before Celina Municipal Court Judge James Scheer on two counts of aggravated robbery. He sat with his head down during most of the 9 a.m. proceeding.
Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Matt Fox requested a $500,000 cash bond given the nature of the crime, the use of a dangerous weapon and the defendant’s criminal history. Scheer approved the request and appointed Daniel Myers as legal counsel.
Also appearing were his sister, 18-year-old Danielle Elizabeth Cummins, and her friend, 33-year-old Cara Gayle O’Daniel. The women, who share an apartment in Newport, Ky., each face two counts of complicity to commit aggravated robbery.
The two women stood before the judge hand-cuffed together. Both wept openly throughout the court proceeding.
Scheer approved the requested $100,000 cash bonds for the women, even though O’Daniel sought a lower figure so she could return home and make arrangements for the dog that has been locked in her apartment since Tuesday. She also needs to make a car payment due today, she said.
“I’m willing to give what they want,” she said in a voice choked with emotion. “I need to go home.”
Cummins also pleaded for release, noting she is still in high school and plans a career in the military upon graduation. She was scheduled to begin a part-time job on Wednesday.
Scheer appointed Donna Post to represent Cummins and Judy Koesters as defense counsel for O’Daniel.
The defendants were returned to the Mercer County Jail. No dates have been set for their preliminary hearings.
They allegedly followed Ed McGillvary from Lawrenceburg, Ind., to his home at 1132 Teaberry Lane. McGillvary parked his car in the driveway shortly before 2:30 a.m., walked into the garage and activated the overhead door.
A masked man, who authorities later identified as Shouse, grabbed the door as it was going down, activating the safety mechanism and causing the door to reopen. He allegedly brandished a handgun and ordered the surprised man to lie down on the garage floor.
However, McGillvary bolted through a doorway to the house, locked the door and summoned help. The suspect then fled the scene in a small dark-colored car. Their nighttime foray apparently continued.
Celina Police quickly notified area law enforcement agencies and provided a description of the suspect’s vehicle.
The Darke County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a concerned citizen around 4 a.m. regarding suspicious activity at Rustic Hill Market, located north of Greenville on U.S. 127.
Deputies located a dark blue, four-door Ford parked in front of the market. Shouse and the two women inside offered no resistance. Evidence at the scene indicated they had broken into a soft drink machine on the premises and likely planned to enter the market, according to Detective Sgt. Mark Whittaker.
A subsequent search of the vehicle, which matched the broadcast description, yielded a gun, a black stocking mask and tools that could be used in the commission of additional crimes. Also found inside were a license plate, later found to be stolen, and three potted mum plants reportedly taken from a display outside Niekamp’s Farm and Flea Market, south of Celina.

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