Centerville, OH—Three young men and a young woman are behind bars after an incident that took place around 3:00 am on December 13th. The Warren County Sheriff’s Department said that 18-year-old Dakota Cox and four of his teenage friends planned to kidnap and rob an unnamed individual.
They lured the unnamed man to the 1800 Block of Oregonia Road. When the man in question arrived, the five thugs had a baseball bat and a handgun waiting for him.
When they threatened him, the man pulled out a gun of his own and made a stand. Police described what ensued as a ‘gun battle.’
The victim was able to hit several of the thugs, but in the darkness, he couldn’t tell what was going on.
Meanwhile, 911 tapes from a neighbor lady reveal more of the story. A female caller told dispatchers that there was a frantic teenager on her porch asking for help because he’d been shot. The woman’s dogs were barking like crazy, so she hadn’t heard any gunshots. She wasn’t sure if she should help them or if they were lying to her in hopes of getting her to unlock her door and ambush her.
Then she saw a dark form lying in the grass next to her house. She relayed this to the 911 operator.
“There is a kid laying on the ground by my AC unit,” the caller said.
“Where at? He is like, passed out?” the dispatcher said.
“He’s like laying there like he’s dead or asleep or passed out or something,” the caller said.
When police arrived, they found the intended robbery victim unharmed, and two of the thugs shot. One of them, 16-year-old Mason Trudics was dead, and another 16-year old, Jacob Hicks, was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. The other teens were later identified as Kayla Carmack, 17, Dakota Cox, 18.
All These Thugs Will End Up With Is Prison Time
Thanks to an Ohio law meant to discourage dangerous and stupid decisions like the ones these teenagers made, the surviving teens are being charged with the murder in the death of their accomplice. Meanwhile, their intended victim isn’t facing any charges at this time.
What did these kids think would happen? They thought they were the mastermind criminals of the world who were going to pull off a crime like this and walk away and nobody would be the wiser?
Now they’re going to spend the next several years in prison. And yet, if their victim hadn’t been armed, he’d likely be a in body bag. Carry and train for the unexpected, because you never know when five teenagers will decide to throw their lives away.