Trial delayed for Lima man charged with burglary, assault
May 25—LIMA — One of two trials scheduled to begin in Allen County Common Pleas Court following the upcoming Memorial Day weekend has been postponed indefinitely due to the 11th-hour realization of a conflict of interest on the part of one of the attorneys involved.
The trial of Tarockis Greer, 31, of Lima was put on hold during a hearing held Wednesday morning before Judge Jeffrey Reed, who said he had learned only one day earlier about a "new revelation" in Greer's case.
Attorney Carroll Creighton of the Allen County Public Defenders Office apologized to the court and to prosecutors after realizing that he had briefly represented Greer's co-defendant, Duran Tyson, during a preliminary hearing early in Tyson's case. Creighton asked for permission for the public defenders office to withdraw as Greer's attorney to avoid a conflict of interest.
Reed agreed that it would be unfair to Greer and Tyson to have the public defenders office involved. The judge appointed Lima attorney Zach Maisch to take over Greer's case and vacated the trial that was set to begin Tuesday.
Another high-profile case is scheduled for trial that same day as jurors will hear the case of teenage murder suspect Ja'naz Smith.
Greer is charged with one count of aggravated burglary and two second-degree felony counts of felonious assault with firearm specifications.
The indictment alleges that on or about July 12, 2021, Greer entered an occupied structure with persons inside and had a firearm on his person at the time. The felonious assault charges alleges that Greer caused or attempted to cause physical harm to Jason High and Jodi Troy during the incident.
Lima police were dispatched to the 1600 block of West Wayne Street on the evening of July 12, 2021, in reference to a possible shooting. Officers learned there were shots fired inside the residence but that no one was injured during an apparent robbery, according to court records.
Tyson reportedly spoke with Troy and another occupant of the home, Rob Blevins, while Greer sat in a nearby room. Tyson then accompanied Troy to the basement and Greer went upstairs where High was sleeping. Blevins told police he then heard a gunshot and fled outside. Troy heard the same gunshot and came from the basement to see what had happened. As Troy entered the ground floor she felt a gun in her back and was ordered to the ground. Shortly thereafter she was struck in the head with the weapon and a second gunshot was fired. Blevins was also struck with the weapon, court records show.
