Laurence goes on trial for aggravated robbery

By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com

Monday was the first day of trial for the man accused of injuring Bucyrus Police Chief Dave Koepke.

Twenty-four-year-old Jacob Kent Laurence, currently listed in court records with a Walnut St. address, is facing a first-degree felony charge of aggravated robbery. Laurence has been in the county jail since the incident on a $1.5 million set by Municipal Court Judge Sean Leuthold.

Laurence and his attorney, Adam Stone, opted for a bench trial in front of visiting Judge Dale Crawford.

Assistant prosecuting attorney Ryan Hoovler called five witnesses to the stand, starting with Gordon Sessions Jr., the 58-year-old manager of the Bucyrus CVS Pharmacy.

Under questioning from Hoovler, Sessions described seeing Laurence come in to the store at approximately 1:16 p.m. on Nov. 1 with another man. Laurence wandered around the store for a bit, waiting for no one to be around before opening the refrigerator and taking two cans of Red Bull energy drink. As he walked down the aisle, Sessions said he saw Laurence put the can in his pocket and grab some beef jerky. After that, Sessions said, Laurence started talking to his friend and moving toward the front door.

Sessions said he called the Bucyrus Police Department to report a shoplifter in the store.
Following Laurence out of the store, Sessions said he saw the impact as Koepke, coming on foot from the police department to investigate the shoplifting incident, tackled Laurence to stop him.

The owner of Morning Glory Bakery rushed over to assist the fallen Koepke, Sessions said.

Stone asked Sessions whether his defendant ever threatened to cause physical harm. Sessions was unable to answer in the affirmative. Stone also questioned whether the injuries Koepke sustained resulted in his own momentum while trying to stop Laurence.

Koepke was called as the second witness of the day for the prosecution. Koepke, who has been chief of police for Bucyrus since June 1, 2013, and has worked for the city as an officer since 1989, had been wearing the department’s uniform of a white shirt and navy blue pants that day.

Around 1 p.m. on Nov. 1, Koepke said he responded to a shoplifter still in the store at CVS. With Patrolman Curtis Bursby already responding by car, Koepke chose to head over to the nearby business on foot. As he made his way to the CVS parking lot he said he saw Katina Shell, owner of Morning Glory Bakery, working in her drive-thru.

Reaching the middle of the CVS parking lot, Koepke said he saw what he believed to be the shoplifting suspect exiting the front door and heading south, toward City Hall. Only 60 feet away, Koepke stated that he put himself in front of the suspect to intercept Laurence. During that time, Koepke said, Laurence had been looking directly south at him. Laurence did not stop or veer away from the approaching police officer.

Koepke tried to apprehend Laurence by tackling him near the west wall of CVS. The next thing the Chief of Police remembered was lying face down on the ground with his arms still swinging to try to grab Laurence. He stated he heard Patrolman Bursby telling him to get in the car.

“At that time I couldn’t see,” Koepke said. He added that he was dazed, disoriented, and started wandering towards the police station.

When questioned by Hoovler about Laurence’s options to escape Koepke before he reached him, Koepke said Laurence could have taken a sharp right between the vehicles parked on the South Sandusky Ave. side of the parking lot.

Koepke sustained numerous injuries to his face from the collision, including lacerations at his right temple, near his right eye, and on the right side of his face.

Though civilians came to his aide right after the incident, Koepke didn’t receive medical aide until EMTs arrived at the police station, where he had gone to get the bloodstains out of his bright white shirt.

“I was pretty worked up,” Koepke said. One of the first things Koepke did as chief as ordered the brand new white shirts. “That’s all I was thinking about at that particular time.”

The EMTs insisted he go to the hospital because he wasn’t acting normal. In the emergency room of Bucyrus Community Hospital, Koepke complained of a severe pain in his head and “just general soreness.” He had injuries to his face, lacerations and a bone bruise on his elbows, and scrapes on his hand.

When he left around 5:30 that evening he was still disoriented, had the pain in his head, and was unable to drive. He started feeling a pain in his neck and left shoulder two to three days later.

Koepke described it as “a stabbing pain” at the junction of his neck and shoulder that limited his range of motion. He missed two days of work from his injuries and still has residual pain even though he continues to undergo physical therapy.

Stone focused on what he said were “assumption” made by Koepke about how he received his injuries because he couldn’t remember. He also argued that the chief was oriented enough after the incident to walk back to the police station and to take pictures of himself with the injuries. Stone added that Koepke continued to officiate basketball games, which require a range of motion, even though he was still on restrictions from work.

Judge Crawford asked Koepke if he said anything to Laurence when he saw the suspect or if he heard Sessions say anything. Koepke said he didn’t. Crawford also asked if Koepke had any scars from the incident. He said he did.

Katina Shell, owner of Morning Glory Bakery, was called as the third witness of the day and testified to seeing the aftermath of the collision between Koepke and Laurence. Shell had been assisting a customer that had arrived after the bakery was closed for the day. The two had been loading items in the customer’s vehicle, which was parked in the bakery’s drive-thru near CVS.

Shell said she saw Koepke walk past but didn’t think anything of it until she and the customer heard loud footsteps and a shout. They then turned to see Koepke behind Laurence with a grip on the suspect. Shell would later testify that she saw Laurence’s legs kick back to get out of Koepke’s grip, though she didn’t believe it was intentionally done to kick Koepke. She added that Koepke was dragged a bit in the scuffle. Laurence was able to get away and Shell saw the chief of police on the ground.

“His head was hanging over the curb here at CVS,” Shell described as she said she ran up to check on Koepke. She added that he was face down with his arms tucked under him. “He was bleeding pretty badly . . . He was really confused. I thought it was very strange because he didn’t know who I was.”

Shell testified that when she first approached Koepke his eyes were closed and rolling back in his head and he was drooling. She tried to keep him on the ground by he was confused and tried to get up, Shell stated. When Koepke refused to get in Bursby’s vehicle, Shell followed him as he stumblingly crossed the backyard of Morning Glory toward the police station. She later returned to the parking lot to retrieve her apron, which she had used to keep Koepke’s head from hitting the ground as he lay there, and saw a package of beef jerky on the sidewalk.

Eighteen-year Bucyrus Police Department veteran Curtis Bursby was next called to the stand. He had been responding to the shoplifting complaint by driving his car around to CVS. Bursby stated that a female flagged him down as he approached CVS to tell him that an officer was down.

Bursby saw Koepke struggling unsteadily to his feet, his face and shirt bloody. The veteran officer called for another unit and an EMS squad. He attempted to get Koepke to sit in his car as they awaited the EMS but Koepke, dazed, confused, and unsteady, made his way to the police station. Bursby directed the EMS squad to City Hall when it arrived.

Meanwhile, Bursby returned to CVS to speak to Sessions. He was able to speak with the man Laurence arrived with. That man was placed in Bursby’s car to be taken to the station. During the ride over, the man pointed out the apartment that Laurence, location unknown at the time, had been staying.

Other officers checked out the apartment later that day when they were notified that Laurence was home. Though they were unable to location Laurence, another resident said that he was hiding in a wooden cabinet in the apartment. Laurence fled out the window and was apprehended.

Bursby took a hat and sweatshirt from the apartment that he believed Laurence had been wearing at the time of the shoplifting incident. He also got a statement from Sessions and a video from the store’s surveillance equipment.

Dr. Gary Osborn, emergency room physician at Bucyrus Community Hospital was the final witness called for the day by the prosecution. Osborn had treated Koepke for lacerations and abrasions and checked him for a concussion. At the time, Osborn stated, Koepke was showing normal neurological signs but added that being dazed, confused, and unbalanced and having your eyes roll back in your head were all signs of a concussion. Osborn also testified that it was not abnormal for someone to feel new pain days after an injury occurred.

Osborn gave Koepke a prescription for prescription-strength ibuprofen and referred him to the Occupational Health Clinic.

Stone arrowed in on what Osborn said were “concussion symptoms” without making a concussion diagnosis. He also stated that there were no abnormalities found when CT scans were done of Koepke’s facial bones and his brain.

Crawford took his time for a round of questioning. He asked Osborn to view Koepke’s face where the sutures had been removed. When asked if Koepke showed any signs of disfigurement, Osborn said there was minor scarring that would be permanent.

Crawford also asked Osborn whether Koepke had been substantially incapacitated.

“From my opinion he did have a serious problem. He was knocked unconscious” which could lead to major problems later on, Osborn said.

Stone asked for a Criminal Rule 29 for acquittal, stating that the prosecution failed to prove that this incident was a robbery. He argued that – to be a robbery – a suspect had to attempt to inflict physical harm on another. In this case, Stone contended, Koepke made the initial impact that caused his injuries.

Hoovler maintained that aggravated robbery had already been proven after Sessions asked for the property back, Laurence refused and he later collided with Koepke.

“He inflicted this harm because he ran from an unlawful act,” argued Hoovler, adding that the chief had been doing a lawful act to apprehend Laurence.

Crawford denied Stone’s motion and ordered the case to resume at 9 a.m. Tuesday in Crawford County Common Pleas Court. The defense plans on calling five witnesses.