New details emerge in botched Snelling home invasion as suspected driver takes plea deal

One of four suspects charged in a November home invasion in Snelling accepted a plea deal for a methamphetamine-fueled botched robbery that left a victim and two of the suspects injured by gunshots, according to new details in investigation reports.

The alleged getaway driver in the crime, Kathleen Hanshew, 28, on March 11 pleaded no contest to one count of robbery, according to court records.

Hanshew’s attorney, Tom Pfeiff, declined to comment on the case due to her co-defendants’ pending criminal hearings.

Nickolas Dunn, 21, and 33-year-old Max Macen have pleaded not guilty to felony attempted murder, robbery and criminal-threat charges in connection with the alleged armed robbery on Nov. 28 last year. Joseph Fudge, 31, has yet to enter a plea.

Investigation reports indicate investigators believe the defendants snorted methamphetamine before the three male suspects stormed a home in the 7000 block of Merced Falls Road in masks.

Witnesses told detectives Fudge knew one of the male victims and bought a car from him. But Fudge never paid for it, sparking threats from the victim who would report the car stolen, which irked Fudge, according to the reports.

The suspects also reportedly thought there may have been several items of value at the Merced Falls Road home, including a “brick” of methamphetamine, and that robbing the home easy money,” the reports state.

After Hanshew drove the three male suspects around Merced County, she reportedly parked in front of the Snelling home, and Fudge, Macen and Dunn exited the vehicle with guns in hand and wearing different types of masks to conceal their identities, the reports state.

Conflicting accounts state that the three men invaded the home, according to reports, holding two individuals at gunpoint in one room and another victim in another area of the home as they demanded to know where the “watches” and other valuable items were.

One of the victims told police he was pistol whipped in the head. The victim said the man who pistol whipped then dropped the firearm. The victim then picked up the gun and started indiscriminately firing it behind him toward the suspect, the reports say.

Dunn was reportedly shot in the arm and struggled with the victim over the gun, the reports state. But he eventually fled the home after the victim gained control of the firearm.

Shots also rang out in the other room, where another occupant was injured. Macen and Fudge fled the home, but not before the victim with the gun fired at them, possibly resulting in Fudge being shot in the back, according to reports.

However, it was unclear where the gun fired by the victim went. It wasn’t at the scene when deputies arrived.

The three suspects fled in the car driven by Hanshew, who ended up switching seats with Macen and tending to Dunn’s injury in the back seat, reports state. Macen, Fudge and Hanshew reportedly dropped Dunn off on the doorstep of a stranger’s home in Jamestown, and Fudge also was dropped off in the middle of a road where he was reportedly picked up by a family member.

Dunn was taken to a Modesto area hospital after the Jamestown resident called Tuolumne County deputies. He was arrested after undergoing medical treatment and giving a statement about the home invasion.

Macen and Hanshew reportedly went “off the grid” and stayed in various motels and homes of acquaintances after the incident, according to reports, as Macen may have feared being caught due to his prior criminal record.

But on Dec. 3, days after the home invasion, authorities arrested both of them in Modesto following a low-speed chase of what appeared to be the same vehicle used in the crime.

On the same day, authorities learned Fudge may be hiding with family in Stevensville, Montana, according to the reports. Fudge was arrested by local authorities and extradited back to California to face charges.

Fudge was being held in lieu of $1.6 million bond. Hanshew Macen and Dunn’s bond amounts were at $1 million each.

Fudge, Macen and Dunn’s next court date is April 8. Fudge is scheduled to enter a plea.

This story was originally published March 31, 2019 at 12:35 PM.