A man accused of holding up dozens of Pierce County businesses over the past three months pleaded not guilty Thursday to 30 felonies.
Superior Court Judge Gary Steiner ordered Joshua Jacob Nitschke, 26, jailed in lieu of $500,000 bail at the recommendation of deputy prosecutor Patrick Cooper, who called Nitschke “a threat to the community.”
Prosecutors say Nitschke used a toy gun to rob or try to rob sandwich shops, pizza parlors and gas stations during a spree that began in September. He’s charged with 28 counts of first-degree robbery and two counts of attempted robbery.
Police arrested Nitschke and his girlfriend, Cassandra Koepke, 23, Sunday as they allegedly were trying to rob a Subway shop. Nitschke confessed to committing all the robberies, telling detectives he used money from the heists to support his drug habit, prosecutors said.
Koepke pleaded not guilty earlier this week to four counts of first-degree robbery and one count of attempted robbery. Prosecutors said
Koepke, a former Subway employee, helped Nitschke plan some of the robberies and also was his getaway driver during five heists.
Steiner also ruled Thursday that media outlets could photograph Nitschke while he was in court.
The defendant’s attorney, Richard Whitehead of the Department of Assigned Counsel, asked Steiner to prohibit news photographers from taking photos or video of his client.
Whitehead argued that publishing images of Nitschke’s face inappropriately could influence potential witnesses to identify Nitschke as the robber.
James Beck, an attorney for The News Tribune, countered that that wasn’t compelling enough to restrict press access to court, and Steiner agreed.
Adam Lynn: 253-597-8644
adam.lynn@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/crime
Twitter: @TNTadam
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