(St. Leon, IN) – A 20-year-old man is facing multiple charges in connection with an attempted robbery last month in St. Leon.
A person selling a van on Facebook Marketplace received a message from someone, later identified as Gregory C. Lucas of Cincinnati, asking if the van seller would accept two ounces of cocaine, $4,500 cash and marijuana as payment for the van.
The van seller and Lucas made arrangements to meet at the Amoco gas station in St. Leon on September 17.
The individual selling the van contacted lndiana State Police and detectives advised that them not to be present at Amoco for the transaction.
On September 17 around 6:30 p.m., two plain clothes detectives were in the area awaiting the arrival of Lucas. Detectives observed a male wearing a ski mask, black fleece jacket and black pants walk up to the Amoco station from the roadway and immediately looked into a passenger van at a gas pump. The temperature was in the 90s.
Detectives continued to observe Lucas walk around the gas station three times and entered the business for a brief period. As Lucas walked, it was apparent that he had an object in is pocket causing his pocket to swing while he walked.
The male was walking around the gas station near the air conditioners at the back of the building and rummaging through some items.
Three troopers were advised of this information and responded to the Amoco station. One of the troopers made contact with Lucas, who advised the trooper that he was there to purchase a vehicle and that he had messages confirming this meeting location. While Lucas was showing messages to the Trooper, Lucas accidentally showed a message to the effect of, “I got that weed.” When the trooper asked Lucas if he had weed on him, Lucas replied he did not and that he could search him. When the trooper placed his hand on Lucas to conduct a search, Lucas attempted to run away.
He was told to stop, get on the ground and stop resisting. Failing to comply with these orders, Lucas physically resisted the three troopers, one of whom sustained a bite injury to his shoulder, a cut to the inside of his mouth from the suspect’s fingers, a scratch down the left side of his face along with extreme pain to his eye from Lucas allegedly attempting to gouge his eye, while being bitten.
That trooper sustained an injury to his shoulder, which required a visit to an orthopedic doctor and the injury to his face is now a permanent scar. The other two troopers received abrasions and scratches during the altercation.
Investigators say during a search, a loaded Glock 27 .40 caliber handgun with an extended magazine was located in Lucas’ jacket pocket. There was a bullet loaded in the gun’s chamber along with an additional 18 rounds in the magazine.
Troopers looked in the immediate area behind theAmoco station where the altercation occurred. One of them located an opened Swiss Army pocketknife staged behind a piece of sheet metal. No drugs or other weapons were located.
After being read his rights, Lucas permitted Troopers to review messages from his cell phone. Lucas admitted that he agreed to bring two ounces of cocaine and two guns as payment, which he did not have on his person. Lucas advised that the Swiss Army knife was from his grandfather before he passed away. When asked why it was open, Lucas said he did not know what was going to happen, it was laid out “in case someone started to give him problems.”
Lucas was arrested and initially charged with Resisting Law Enforcement and Battery on Law Enforcement. Officers applied for a search warrant for Lucas’ phone and it was granted. After a forensic analysis of Lucas’ cell phone, it was learned that Lucas was using another name and interacting with friends. Under Lucas’ alias, a conversation he had with a buddy, approximately three hours prior to arriving in Indiana to meet the van seller, Lucas allegedly told them, “Finna rob these 2 **ga. One today one Saturday.”
Lucas’s initial hearing was held on October 20 on the new charges of Attempted Robbery (Level 3 felony); three counts of Battery on a Public Safety Official (all Level 5 felonies), and Resisting Law Enforcement (also a Level 5 felony).
After one of the troopers testified at the initial hearing, Judge Sally McLaughlin ruled that Lucas presented a “risk to community safety and risk of failing to appear. Although no criminal
history, officer testified as to pre-planning; loaded gun and knife at scene on defendant or placed by defendant.”
Bond was set at $1 million cash and $500-thousand surety.
Lucas’ next hearing date is a pretrial conference set for January 2, 2026 at 11:15a.m.
