May 30—GOSHEN — Elkhart County Circuit Court agreed to have an evidentiary hearing on competency for a man accused of attempting to murder his father.

Dominique Edwards is accused of shooting and injuring his father, Anthony Shaw, while at Shaw’s home along the 1600 block of Stevens Avenue in Elkhart on the night of Nov. 20, 2020 according to his charging affidavit. He faces charges of attempted murder, a Level 1 felony, and two misdemeanor counts of resisting law enforcement.

While visiting the home, witnesses said Edwards grabbed a pillow, went to Shaw’s bedroom and fired a gun through the pillow at him, the affidavit reads. Prior to the shooting, witnesses described Edwards as acting strangely and possibly being on drugs, the affidavit reads.

Shaw, who was shot in the leg and abdomen, told police Edwards said something to the effect of, “Sorry, pops, but I have to kill you,” before he opened fire, according to details in the probable cause affidavit in the case.

Another man at the house told police, according to the affidavit, he then tackled Edwards, knocking the gun out of his hand. The man said he fought Edwards and chased him out of the house, according to the affidavit.

Edwards was located and arrested in December 2020 after an Elkhart officer was dispatched to the 1600 block of Morehouse Avenue to investigate a report of suspicious activity, the affidavit shows.

Defense attorney Bridget Faulkner explained that with contradictory evaluations still in the mix, doctors have been unable to determine whether certain characteristics are presenting a lack of competency or evidence of mental health illnesses.

Insanity would be determined later at trial.

Edwards’ jury trial remains scheduled for Nov. 4.

LORAIN D. CHILDS

A woman charged with a robbery last year had her bond hearing rescheduled in Elkhart County Circuit Court Thursday.

During her initial hearing, Lorain D. Childs told the judge that she’d been incarcerated since February but hadn’t assaulted anyone and needed to speak to her lawyer. A public defender was appointed for her, but Elkhart County Circuit Judge Michael Christofeno said the warrant was issued in April.

Police were called to Jams Smoke Shop, 1530 S. Nappanee St., Elkhart after it was reported that a robbery had taken place there at 1:57 p.m. May 22, 2023.

A store associate told police that two individuals, one man and one woman, had entered the store and, while the man was engaging her in conversation, the woman grabbed a vape in front of the register and tucked it into her shirt, and then the two left the store.

The associate claimed she went out to confront the woman who stole the vape and said if she returned it, she would not call the police. She went back into the store to grab her phone in order to take photos of the vehicle the two were driving, and the woman followed her, returning a different vape than the one she took.

The attendant again followed her back out of the store and said the woman became agitated that she was going to take photos of the vehicle and the attendant then attempted to call the police and punched her. The coupe left.

Surveillance videos were broadcast on social media and Lorain Childs and Darius Branch were identified.

A bond hearing is scheduled for June 6. Childs’ pretrial conference is scheduled for May 30, with a trial status conference Nov. 21, and a jury trial Dec. 16.

JEREMY C. SHULT

A man charged with burglarizing a California Road home in January was told his bond would not be lowered during Elkhart County Circuit Court Thursday. Jeremy C. Shult, 36, is accused of burglarizing a home located at 2527 California Road at 11:36 a.m. Jan. 13. A no bond hold was resolved for a failure to appear, but his bond in the original case remains set at $5,000 corporate surety.

According to a probable cause affidavit, a youth placed a call to 911 indicating that Shult was inside the home, had multiple warrants, and that the caller had gone outside where he was hiding behind a fence, later providing a statement affirming he did see Shult take items from the home.

Officers arrived and saw Shult exiting the home and after garnering backup and getting the youth to safety, they attempted to apprehend Shult, who fled by vehicle, disregarding traffic speed limits and control devices inside Elkhart city limits, officers said in the affidavit, before fleeing on foot.

While fleeing on foot, his gun, a loaded .22 caliber firearm, was seen being discarded into a bush on Kilbourn Street, the affidavit reads. Eventually, Shult was apprehended and officers determined that based on property located within the vehicle, the estimated value of the purses, jewelry, electronics, and other items taken from the home was valued at about $6,600.

Shult also has a previous conviction for auto theft in 2011 and officers at the jail said they found a counterfeit $100 bill in his possession during booking.

ROBERT L. MITCHELL

A man charged with possession of meth was sentenced in Circuit Court Thursday to two years at the Indiana Department of Corrections with alternative placement recommended as Elkhart County home detention.

Robert L. Mitchell, 55, Elkhart, was arrested May 8, 2023, after an officer stopped in the 1000 block of West Cleveland Avenue in Elkhart for not having a visible license plate light around 1:30 a.m.

The officers smelled marijuana and strong perfumes and asked Mitchell to step out of the vehicle so they could pat him down and do a vehicle check. In the vehicle, he found smoked blunts, marijuana, methamphetamine, and a digital scale. Other counts and cases were dismissed.

TRAVIS L. HARDING

A man was sentenced to a total of six years in prison by plea agreement for a charge of Possession of Probation, a Level 4 Felony Thursday.

Travis L. Harding, 41, was arrested May 12, 2023 while an officer was conducting a search for people with warrants at Daylite Inn, 2820 Cassopolis St., Elkhart

Harding had two warrants listed out of Kosciusko County for dealing and possession of methamphetamine.

The officer found him near his room carrying a basket to his car and handcuffed him. When asked if Harding had anything that could poke or stick an officer doing a search, Harding confirmed that he had a syringe that had not been used. The syringe was found in his left pants pocket, along with a small bag of meth.

Harding was sentenced to eight years at the Indiana Department of Corrections with two years suspended and two years on reporting probation.

Dani Messick is the education and entertainment reporter for The Goshen News. She can be reached at dani.messick@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2065.