Deals made in youth jail incident

Kim Smith

Tuesday, June 26, 2001 | 10:30 a.m.

Two of the 13 teenagers who allegedly tried to escape from the Summit View Youth Correctional Center earlier this month have agreed to enter plea bargains and be sentenced as adults.

The boys, both just weeks shy of 18, will plead guilty in District Court to malicious destruction of property. The felony charge carries a prison sentence of one to five years.

All 13 young men appeared before Family Court Judge Cynthia Dianne Steel Monday during what was supposed to be a hearing to decide if they should be tried as adults.

The hearings of the 11 other teenagers were postponed at the request of their attorneys, who said they hadn't had enough time to prepare. Those hearings have been set for July 11, 23 and 25.

According to authorities, 20 offenders incarcerated at the privately run facility in North Las Vegas scaled a fence, then hoisted each other to a nearby roof.

When Metro Police SWAT officers arrived, the youths tore up pieces of the roof and pipes on top of the building and began throwing them at the officers, authorities said.

The standoff ended about 90 minutes later when the teens, tired of the 100-degree weather, began coming down. A handful of those who didn't come down immediately were pepper sprayed and shot with beanbag rounds and taken into custody, authorities said.

According to their defense attorneys, the youths were irate because the facility's new warden had recently informed them they had to begin serving their sentences over again.

Each of the youths was charged with multiple crimes, including attempted escape and malicious destruction of property. One youth was also charged with assault with a deadly weapon for threatening a correctional officer with a homemade knife and another youth was charged with open and gross lewdness and indecent exposure.

Seven of the 20 youths are 18 and will automatically face charges in adult court. Their preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 5 in North Las Vegas Justice Court.

Many of the attorneys at Monday's hearing told Steel they hope to gain her permission to have psychologists evaluate their clients.