30-year-old Douglas M. Casteel pled guilty April 22nd for his role in a robbery turned shooting in Oxford Township that injured a Newcomerstown teen (Submitted)

New Philadelphia, Ohio - A 30-year-old Newcomerstown man has pled guilty for his role in an armed robbery and shooting last year in Oxford Township.

Douglas M. Casteel pled guilty Monday to counts of conspiracy, aggravated robbery, felonious assault and attempted murder for the December 5th shooting on Liberty Road, south of Newcomerstown. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors have agreed to recommend an aggregate sentence of 17 years in prison on two pending cases.  

Casteel was charged in the second case with having weapons under disability and improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle for discharging a firearm in Newcomerstown last April.  He has also pled guilty to those charges.

Tuscarawas County Prosecutor Ryan Styer called it a fair and just resolution. 

"Those who engage in such violent behavior should be held accountable, and we are pleased that will happen with Casteel," he says. 

Styer says Tuscarawas County Sheriff's detectives have done a great job of gathering evidence to make the timeline of the whereabouts of Casteel and his co-conspirators virtually indisputable. He says the evidence in the case includes phone records, surveillance video and GPS records from the court-ordered ankle monitor Casteel was wearing at the time of the robbery. 

Casteel will remain at the Tuscarawas County Jail until his sentence hearing, which will be scheduled at a later date. Also charged in the case were 36-year-old Ian Cultrona and 23-year-old Lucian Lambes. Cultrona was found guilty of aggravated robbery and three counts of felonious assault with firearm specifications following his trial last month in Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court.  His sentencing is scheduled for May 20th.  Lambes is being held at the county jail with a trial pending for May 29th.

29-year-old Samantha Owen and 35-year-old Lisa Freetage were also charged in the case but were offered plea agreements in exchange for their testimony.