Couch pleads guilty in home invasion – He is expected to cooperate with prosecutors in five remaining cases

The first of six suspects in the home invasion earlier this year in which a woman was allegedly raped has taken a deal.

The defendant, Dustin Couch, 19, entered a guilty plea to the lesser charge of attempted kidnapping and was ordered to serve 240 days of a six-year sentence.

His plea comes for his part in the invasion of a home on Martin Street in January. Couch was charged along with Michael Wright, 19; Cole West, 21; Heath Crisp, 20; Tosha Hill, 24, and Kinsley Fisk, 20, shortly after the incident.

While it was not officially announced, it is believed Couch has agreed to cooperate with the prosecution in its cases against the remaining five co-defendants. Had Couch gone to trial, he could have faced up to 12 years on the kidnapping charge and eight years on the aggravated burglary count.

According to the victim, Hill convinced her to open the door at which time she and the five others forced their way into the house. The victim said they were looking for a man who they said owed them money. The woman, who was alone, said the man they were seeking was not at home at the time.

Once inside, the group allegedly began ransacking the residence and threatening her with weapons before trying her up. Unable to find anything of value, the group, with the exception of Fisk and Crisp, left looking for the man. It was a short time later the woman said Fisk and Crisp took turns raping her, leading to rape charges against them.

Fisk, who was the only one of the group not taken into custody shortly after the home invasion, was recently taken into custody after avoiding apprehension for months. Fisk was listed on the TBI’s Ten Most Wanted prior to his capture in Akron, Ohio. Meanwhile Wright faces escape charges for escaping from Warren County Jail while awaiting his day in court for his part in the home invasion.