PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — One of the teen suspects in a county-spanning spree of armed robberies over the summer has pleaded guilty and will be sentenced to juvenile detention.
The now 17-year-old, who was 16 at the time of the crime, received a sentence of five years in juvenile detention, with an additional sentence of 30 days for an added count of taking a motor vehicle without the owner's permission.
The suspect will also get credit for 119 days already served. KING 5 is not naming the suspect as he is a minor.
The suspects are believed to be involved in a string of robberies, according to probable cause documents. Deputies watched surveillance video of robberies in Auburn, Kent and Tacoma, and all of the suspects were wearing identical clothing.
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to reports of an armed robbery at the 7-Eleven store on Meridian Avenue East in South Hill on June 9 at 5:30 a.m. Employees told deputies that three suspects rushed into the store. One of them pointed a gun at the employee and climbed over the counter to empty the cash drawer. The two others helped.
The suspects ran out of the store with $91 and a food item.
Deputies arrested the three younger suspects after spotting the vehicle they used in the robbery. The suspects tried to access a different car and fled on foot before they were captured, deputies said.
The three other suspects who are believed to have been involved in the robberies have yet to resolve their cases. One of the suspects, 18-year-old Reuben Anthony Charity was arrested as well as a teen boy and teen girl.
