Defense attorneys named in Lancaster SWAT team case

Morgan Varn, the Lancaster woman whose black-eyed mugshot sparked a viral online reaction, now has a public defender - Mike Lifsey.

Varn is being held without bond at the Lancaster County Detention Center. She is charged in an incident involving a standoff that ended with a SWAT team storming a townhouse on April 25. Varn is facing kidnapping and armed robbery charges.

Also arrested in the incident was Jonathan Mikael Robinson, 23, of Charlotte, who faces kidnapping, armed robbery and a weapons charge. Robinson is represented by Lancaster defense lawyer David Cook, according to the Lancaster clerk of court office and court records. Cook could not be reached for comment.

The booking photo of Morgan Varn, 24, released by Lancaster deputies April 25, shows several face tattoos and black-tattooed eyeballs.

Lifsey vowed Tuesday to investigate the charges against Varn and said his office would provide a complete and vigorous defense.

“We are in the process of getting the discovery, and will conduct our own investigation into these allegations,” Lifsey said Tuesday. It is unclear when Varn will have a bond hearing. No trial date has been set.

The case remains under investigation, said Doug Barfield, a sheriff’s office spokesman.

This story was originally published May 2, 2017 at 4:03 PM with the headline "Defense attorneys named in Lancaster SWAT team case."