Milwaukee man to go on trial in January in 2014 Town of Troy shooting, robbery
By Vicky Wedig
SLN Staff
A Walworth County Circuit Court judge last week agreed to release a pre-sentencing investigation report of one of four alleged co-conspirators in a Town of Troy shooting and robbery in 2014.
Judge Kristine Drettwan granted a request Nov. 29 from Waukesha attorney Donna Jean Kuchler to release the pre-sentencing investigation report of Drevon A. Grant, 20, of Milwaukee, to her client, Jeremy L. Thomas, 28, of Milwaukee.
Grant and Thomas, along with Michael Craft, 35, of Glendale, and Jacob A. Curler, 35, of East Troy, are charged in connection with an October 2014 robbery in which a woman was shot and a man beaten in an apartment at Barley’s Hops and Malt in the Town of Troy.
Grant pleaded guilty to armed robbery and was sentenced nearly a year ago to 15 years in prison and seven years extended supervision. Charges of first-degree reckless injury, substantial battery and false imprisonment against him were dismissed.
Charges of armed robbery, first-degree reckless injury, substantial battery and false imprisonment are pending against Thomas, Kraft and Curler.
Before Grant was sentenced in December 2015, an investigation was conducted that considers factors to be used in sentencing and can include victim-impact statements and other information about the defendant such as his education, family stability and past offenses. Drettwan said she required a hearing to approve the release because she wanted to ensure Grant and his attorney were aware of the request and give them an opportunity to object. She said the parties were notified but did not respond. She said the report also was released to other co-defendants in the case.
Thomas is scheduled for a final pre-trial conference Jan. 17 and a four-day jury trial beginning Jan. 23.
Curler is scheduled for a final pre-trial conference Feb. 6 and a five-day jury trial beginning Feb. 20.
Kraft is expected to testify against Thomas and Curler and reach a plea agreement with the district attorney’s office.
According to the criminal complaints, three men entered an apartment at Barley’s Hops and Malt in the Town of Troy on Oct. 20, 2014, and injured the residents.
A detective spoke with one of the residents, Afrim Lika, at the hospital. Lika was bruised and required several stitches closing a cut above his eye and a cut on his head behind his right ear, according to the complaint.
Lika told the detective he went to bed around 10:30 p.m. or 10:45 p.m. and was in his bedroom when two men allegedly entered the room with guns.
Lika said he kicked the skinny robber in the arm and fought with him and then the second man. He said the skinnier man told the other man to tie up Lika’s wife, Altije Fejza, and Lika fought with both men, according to the complaint.
Lika said as he fought with the three men, Fejza helped stop the men from hitting Lika, and one of the men shot her in the leg, according to the complaint. A bullet entered Fejza’s thigh and exited her right calf, according to the complaint.
Grant allegedly told an informant that he shot Altije Fejza, and the informant identified Grant in a photo lineup. Grant admitted participating in the robbery and said he saw the other robbers fight with Lika and saw one of the other robbers shoot Altije Fejza, according to the complaint.
Grant told police one of the other robbers was known as “White Boy Mike,” who was later identified as Kraft. When Kraft was arrested, he told a detective he was “probably going away for a long time for this,” according to the criminal complaint. During an interview with the detective, Kraft allegedly acknowledged Curler was one of the robbers and said Curler anticipated getting $30,000 to $50,000 from the robbery.
