3 adults convicted, sentenced in 2 southern Indiana robberies

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Three people arrested and charged after a man told police he was robbed at gunpoint and hit with a crowbar in southern Indiana last year, learned their sentences on Thursday.

Joshua Johnson, Paige Melton and James "Charlie" McCarty were arrested in January 2023. A teenager was also arrested.

At the time, the Jefferson County (Indiana) Sheriff's Office said a man who was bleeding and had obvious injuries approached a deputy on patrol.

He claimed he was invited to a home in Hanover, Indiana, by Melton on Jan. 24, 2023. But when he met with her, three other men were at the home.

The sheriff's office said the men demanded the victim's phone, and Johnson put a gun to the victim's head.

He was able to escape the home after being hit with a tire iron, police said. That's when he spotted the deputy at a nearby gas station and made a report. He was then examined by EMS and flown to UofL Hospital in Louisville for treatment.

Jefferson County Prosecutor David Sutter said investigators executed a warrant at Johnson's home where they found blood stains and the tire iron that was consistent with the victim's report.

Sutter said investigators also got a search warrant for Johnson's phone, and found communication with McCarty, Melton, and a teenager about the robbery.

Police learned Melton used the victim's phone to transfer $295 from the victim's Cash App account to the teen's account, before taking $200 for herself.

Sutter said the same night of the first incident, a man in Canaan, Indiana, reported he was robbed at gunpoint by two men, who he identified as McCarty and Johnson. Investigators said McCarty told police they targeted the victim for "retribution over a narcotics transaction." He said Johnson had a pistol and they ordered the victim to his knees. They took his cell phone and wallet, which had $20 cash in it.

All three individuals were convicted. Johnson was sentenced to 17 years and Melton was sentenced to 17 1/2 years. Sutter said McCarty pleaded guilty "in additional cases" and was sentenced to 36 years, with 26 years executed and 8 years of probation.

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