LEBANON, Ohio — A judge issued a $1 million bond for the 18-year-old charged in the shooting death of a Centerville man.
Dakota Cox, of Kettering, is one of four people charged in the death of Mason Trudics. A judge issued Cox’s bond when he appeared for a video arraignment at Lebanon Municipal Court at 1 p.m. Thursday.
According to a press release from the Warren County Sheriff's Department, Cox and three other teens, including Trudics, planned the robbery and kidnapping of an individual the night of Dec. 13. The individual was lured to a residence in the 1800 block of Oregonia Road in Turtlecreek Township.
According to police, upon arriving at the address, the individual was threatened with a bat and a firearm. Deputies say the subject then defended himself against attack with a firearm and in the ensuing battle, Mason Trudics was shot and killed and a 16-year-old was critically injured by gunfire.
Christian Cavalier, Cox’s defense attorney, said Cox is trying to “digest everything that’s happening right now.”
“He’s obviously suffering the death of an individual that was known to everybody in this group, and he’s also away from his family,” Cavalier said. “So he’s processing that.”
The shooter, who was originally identified as a potential suspect, has not been charged.
Cox is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 26.
One of the teenage suspects is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 13. Another teenage suspect will appear on Jan. 17. A hearing has not been set for the fourth suspect; that person was injured in the shooting, authorities said.
