This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
One of three teenage boys accused in a string of violent robberies in Salt Lake County — including a January holdup at a Taylorsville gas station in which the clerk was shot and wounded — has resolved his case with a plea agreement in juvenile court.
The 17-year-old boy on Friday pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree felony aggravated robbery, and two identical charges were dismissed, a court spokesman said Monday.
Third District Juvenile Court Judge James Michie ordered the teen to remain at a juvenile secure care facility, possibly until he is 21 years old.
In making his decision, Michie found there were "multiple victims, more than two individuals involved, weapons involved [and] crime against a person," the court spokesman said.
If the teen is released before he is 21, the judge ordered supervised parole, including 500 hours of community service. The issue of victim restitution was taken under advisement.
Another 17-year-old boy — and a 16-year-old boy who allegedly shot the clerk — were charged with four counts of aggravated robbery and two counts of felony discharge of a firearm with serious bodily injury, all first-degree felonies.
During a Jan. 23 robbery at an Exxon station store near 2187 W. 4700 South, the 16-year-old allegedly fired a gun and hit the 21-year-old male clerk twice. One bullet shattered the clerk's left femur, and the other went through his left wrist and into his lower abdomen, according to charges.
The clerk initially was in critical condition, but was upgraded to fair condition the following week, according to police. No further update on the clerk's condition was available Monday.
The 16-year-old later told investigators he fired the weapon because the clerk "thought it was a game and wasn't taking them seriously," charges state.
Prior to the shooting at an Exxon station, the three boys are accused of robbing three other convenience stores over a two-day period. Each time, one of the teens brandished a gun and robbed the store of money and, at one location, flavored cigars, according to charging documents. Those three robberies occurred at a Shell Station at 4018 W. 4100 South, a 7-Eleven store at 5400 W. 4100 South and a Shell Station at 7210 W. 3500 South.
Some of the convenience store clerks reported to police that the trio wore bandanas and gloves, and ordered them to the ground and demanded that they not look up. One reported that he was told if he looked up, the gunman would "smear my brains across the floor," according to charging documents.
Shots were not fired during the first three robberies, according to charging documents.
After their arrests, the teens were booked into the Salt Lake County Youth Detention Center.
A hearing for the 16-year-old boy is set for Friday. The other 17-year-old is due in court again June 2.
Unified Police Detective Ken Hansen has said it appears the robberies were "both drug- and gang-involved."