Carson man to plead in coffee shop shooting

Midway through day two of a preliminary hearing Monday, a 20-year-old Carson City man agreed to plead to five of 41 charges related to a January crime spree.

Jermaine Charles Hoffman waived the remainder of his preliminary hearing and plead to charges of felony robbery with the use of a deadly weapon, battery with a deadly weapon, the burglary of Carson-Tahoe Jewelers and a True Value Hardware in which 19 guns were stolen.

Hoffman was accused of using one of the stolen weapons to hold up the Carson Coffee shop on Jan. 30. He fired twice at owner Curt Spradley before fleeing. Spradley suffered only an abrasion on his foot from a ricocheting bullet.

After lunch Hoffman's attorney Kay Ellen Armstrong motioned the court for a continuance.

"I think my client is losing his competency," she said. "I have seen his mental status change. He has gone from tearful to laughing and he said he is hearing voices. He seems paranoid. He seems delusional.

"I'm in a quandary myself. I don't want to see this kid hanging himself downstairs (in the jail)."

District Attorney Neil Rombardo called Hoffman's claims a "delay tactic, ruse."

Rombardo pointed to an evaluation at Lakes Crossing in which doctors found Hoffman competent.

Justice of the Peace Thomas Armstrong decided the evaluation was enough to continue the proceedings.

Then, just after Carson City Sheriff's Detective Daniel Gonzales began to testify, Hoffman slid a note over to Armstrong stating he was willing to take the plea bargain, she said.

"I think this is a good resolution for the community," said Rombardo following the proceeding. "Mr. Hoffman faces a long prison term for his actions."

Hoffman will next appear in Carson City District Court on July 13. He faces up to 60 years in prison when sentenced. He remains in jail on $100,000 bail.