OREM, Utah – A 16-year-old male who took his mom’s car and held up branches of America First CU and Central Bank within 20 minutes last month, avoided being prosecuted as an adult Monday when he pleaded guilty to the two armed robberies.
The teenager drove up to the institutions’ drive-through windows, where he passed a note to the teller asking for money and indicating he had a weapon, police said.
The teenager pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery, both second-degree felonies, while prosecutors dropped the word “aggravated” from both charges. Prosecutors charged the boy after his arrest on Feb. 25.
The original charges would have fallen under Utah’s serious youth offender statute and could have resulted in the case being transferred from juvenile court to adult criminal court.
The boy was sentenced Monday to secure care, a holding facility for underage offenders in Provo. The boy has no scheduled release date and the duration of his stay will depend on youth parole authorities.
