LIMA — Two Lima juveniles were arraigned as adults Monday in Allen County Common Pleas Court.
Nazier Howard and Juan Freeman II, both 17, each have been charged by a recent session of the grand jury with three counts of aggravated robbery. Each of the counts includes a specification that a firearm was used during the commission of the alleged crimes. The aggravated robbery charges, felonies of the first degree, are punishable upon conviction by prison terms of up up to 16 1/2 years, while each of the firearm specifications would add a mandatory additional three years behind bars.
According to the indictments against both teenagers, they are alleged to have participated in theft offenses on or around Jan. 14 and allegedly did so while in the possession of firearms. The grand jury in the indictments allege that both Howard and Nazier “had a firearm on or about his person or under his control while committing the offense and displayed or brandished the firearm, indicated he possessed a firearm or used it to facilitate the offense. “
Three separate incidents are alleged. Hearings were held in Allen County Juvenile Court in June for each of the teenagers, and it was determined that a mandatory bind-over to common pleas court was appropriate under the law.
Howard and Freeman each are being held on $250,000 bond at the Allen County juvenile detention center. Howard’s court-appointed attorney, Carroll Creighton, sought during Monday’s hearing to have his client’s bond lowered, but Assistant Allen County Prosecuting Attorney Tony Miller objected, citing Howard’s “lengthy” criminal record as a juvenile, including previous cases involving firearms.
Judge Jeffrey Reed continued Howard’s bond as originally stated.
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