WORTHINGTON - Three men appeared in court Tuesday for their Rule 8 hearing over an alleged robbery.
Bobby Martin, 26, of Worthington, along with Ojulu Omot, 21, of Rushmore, and Joseph Cole Tokpa, 18, of Worthington, are each charged with three felony counts relating to robbery, misdemeanor theft and assault charges. They are also each charged with marijuana possession, a petty misdemeanor, and Tokpa is charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, a petty misdemeanor.
According to court documents, on July 14, Worthington police officers were notified of a robbery in progress at the Thompson Apartments and El Mexicano #3.
The suspects were described as three black men. A police officer saw two men and recognized them as Martin and Omot. The police officer stopped and detained both men.
The victim claims he began walking away when he felt someone punch the back of his head. When he turned around, the three men were running away and the money from his pocket was gone. The victim claims he had $50 to $60 in his pocket.
The alleged victim identified both Martin and Omot as two of the three men that robbed him.
Tokpa was later identified through surveillance video as the third suspect. A search warrant was obtained for Tokpa’ residence, where officers found a black herb grinder with marijuana remnant on the couch, and a marijuana pipe on the TV stand.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Martin pleaded not guilty and asked for a jury trial. A two-day jury trial will be set at a future date. Martin’s legal counsel also asked for his bail amount to be reduced to $5,000 so he could be present for the birth of his child. He was denied the $5,000 bail, but his conditional bail was modified to $15,000 from $30,000 by Judge Gordon Moore.
Omot’s attorney requested a contested omnibus hearing, and a bail reduction to $5,000. He was granted an omnibus hearing, but denied a bail reduction.
Omot has two other open cases with bail amounts set in addition to the robbery case, according to his attorney, and he was cooperative with law enforcement in this matter. The state argued that Omot has a criminal history with most crimes occurring recently. The assistant county attorney also noted Omot has been combative when given furlough in the past. Judge Moore kept Omot’s unconditional bail amount set at $60,000 with conditional bail set at $40,000.
Tokpa’s attorney asked for his client to be released on his own recognizance. Tokpa is facing eviction from his current home and needs to secure his belongings and a new residence. Tokpa’s request for bail modification was also denied. His conditional bail is set at $10,000.
