In Indiana County Court today, sentencing is scheduled for several defendants, and plea court appearances are scheduled for others.
One of those scheduled for sentencing is 26-year-old Torrance Hawkins Jr. of Youngstown, Ohio, who was convicted by a court jury of a single charge of prohibited possession of a firearm for his role in an armed robbery in December 2014 at an apartment on Locust Street in Indiana.
Hawkins was one of four suspects involved. Police at the time said he and Dominique Green of Sharon were both armed when they broke into the apartment shortly before 6 AM as the victims, a man and woman, were asleep. Holding the two at gunpoint, they stole $1,000 cash, a video game console, a duffel bag, a jar of change, and a half-pound of marijuana. During the robbery, one of the guns went off, the bullet lodging in the floor. All four suspects were caught in short order, the two others, who had been houseguests of the victims, being found nearby in a car with the stolen loot.
Dominique Green was found guilty and was sentenced to five years probation. Alvin Hancock of Farrell was found guilty of conspiracy and sentenced to one year probation. The criminal docket sheet on Marcus Harden of Sharon does not indicate the disposition of his case.
58-year-old Frederick Johnson II of Indiana will be sentenced in an insurance fraud case. He was found guilty in a non-jury trial of theft by failure to make disposition of funds.
35-year-old David Taylor of Homer City will be sentenced for guilty pleas in four cases, for forgery, two counts of theft, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Plea Court appearances are scheduled for Gary Waddell of Homer City in a theft and bad checks case, and for Brian Lamont Jones Jr. of Lancaster, on charges of possession of marijuana and of drug paraphernalia, plus driving offenses.
