Indianapolis man with criminal history arrested after Muncie armed robbery

MUNCIE, Ind. — An Indianapolis man who had previously been convicted of three armed robberies in Terre Haute has been accused of robbing a cash advance business in Muncie.

According to court documents filed in Delaware County earlier this month, James Johnson has been preliminarily charged with:

• One count of armed robbery, a Level 3 felony
• One count of possession of a handgun by a serious violent felon, a Level 4 felony
• One count of pointing a firearm, a Level 6 felony

On Sept. 13, officers with the Muncie Police Department were called to an armed robbery at a Check into Cash location in Muncie. Witnesses reportedly told police that a man entered the store armed with a handgun, pointed it at individuals in the business and ordered them to the ground.

The court documents state that the man, later identified by police as Johnson, walked around the counter of the business and took out a cash drawer that contained $2,474.63 consisting mainly of $20s, $10s, $5s and $1s.

Police tracked down Johnson as the suspect using a description of what Johnson was reportedly wearing during the incident, as well as the dark blue Chevrolet Trailblazer he was driving. After a report of a stolen license plate at Ball State University, police tracked down his vehicle to an Indianapolis home.

At that time, officers said that Johnson was on federal parole for armed robbery. This comes after Johnson was convicted of three other armed robbery incidents, as well as pleaded guilty to a fourth:

• 2004: armed robbery of a bar in Terre Haute, convicted
• 2006: armed robbery of a dry cleaners and cigar shop in Terre Haute, convicted
• 2010: armed robbery of a credit union in Terre Haute where he zip-tied the tellers, convicted
• 2010: armed robbery at a payroll advance location in Terre Haute where he reportedly zip-tied the employees. This case was dismissed per the plea agreement to the other 2010 incident.

The FBI Safe Street Task Force located the vehicle in Indianapolis and Johnson was arrested after he was seen leaving a local grocery store. The documents said a large amount of currency was in his pockets.

A witness reportedly told police that the $10 bills that were located in the drawer had just come off the truck and were “very crisp.” The witness also said that the currency stolen reportedly consisted mainly of $20s, $10s, $5s and $1s.

The documents said that the detectives counted the money that was located on Johnson after he was arrested. All the bills were reportedly as the witness described, and the $10 bills “appeared brand new and very crisp.”

Officials said that clothing that Johnson reportedly wore during the armed robbery, including a gray zip-up sweatshirt, was located in his vehicle. A firearm linked to Johnson was also found at a home on the near east side of Indianapolis, along with one blue rubber gardening-style glove similar to the one that Johnson reportedly wore during the incident.

Johnson is currently in the Delaware County Jail. According to court documents, officials did not set a bail amount for Johnson in relation to the preliminary Delaware County charges.

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