Teenagers allegedly preyed on elderly

Erica D. Johnson

Thursday, Oct. 23, 2003 | 11:03 a.m.

Police say they picked their victims carefully, taking advantage of the weakest and most vulnerable members of the community.

An 81-year-old woman was robbed while she rolled down the street in a motorized wheelchair. An 80-year-old woman was assaulted while she carried groceries to her apartment.

The suspects charged in the attacks are teens -- 17-year-old Jamar Jackson, Jr., and a 15-year-old boy.

Jonathan VanBoskerck, who prosecutes cases in the juvenile system, said the teens victimized at least six elderly and handicapped people during a violent crime spree last month.

"They targeted the weakest of the weak," he said. "They took the basic principles of our society and manipulated them for their own purposes."

That's why VanBoskerck told Family Court Judge Cynthia Dianne Steel on Wednesday, the teens "need to face their just rewards in the adult system."

But Steel ruled that only Jackson will face charges in District Court. The 15-year-old's case will remain in Juvenile Court.

In Nevada, anyone 8 or older who is charged with murder or attempted murder is automatically charged as an adult. In other cases, it is up to a juvenile judge to decide whether a case will be transferred.

Steel determined that 15-year-old should remain in the juvenile system where he will have access to specialized rehabilitation programs for children.

She prefaced her ruling by saying that certification is one of the hardest decisions a judge has to make. In the 15-year-old's case, she said, his youth played a role.

"I totally believe this young man is certifiable to go into the adult system, but there is time left to work on him," she said. "I'm looking at what I can do, what the juvenile system can do, with the little time we have."

Steel also commented on what she called the "horrific" circumstances of the case.

"These are young people who have all their faculties and strength about them preying on those in the community who don't have those attributes," she said.

VanBoskerck said violent crimes such as this are not uncommon in the juvenile system.

"Juveniles in Clark County are responsible for a disproportionate amount of very horrible crimes," he said. "We have kids doing adult crimes and not enough of the public pays attention."

Jackson will face 24 criminal counts in District Court, including robbery, burglary and kidnapping, VanBoskerck said. The 15-year-old faces 24 counts in the juvenile system.

Prosecutors say the wave of violence occurred between Aug. 20 and Sept. 3 at the Saratoga Palms II apartment complex in the 2800 block of East Fremont Street near Charleston Boulevard.

Within the complex is an area occupied primarily by elderly people, VanBoskerck said. The teens allegedly fled to an abandoned apartment in the complex following the assaults.

VanBoskerck said the teens' arrests put an end to a "slew of unsolved robberies in that area."

Defense attorneys for the teens had argued that both cases should remain in the juvenile system.

Jackson's attorney, James Guesman, said his client should be incarcerated at the Spring Mountain Youth Camp in Elko. That would still ensure that society is protected, he said.

"We have a chance to save him," he said. "He will become a victim in the prison system."

Likewise, the 15-year-old's attorney, Abel Yanez of the Juvenile Public Defender's Office, said he was afraid his client would become "lost in the adult system."

He said his client had already overcome several challenges in his young life, including being born addicted to crack cocaine.

"Being born addicted is an extreme strike against you," he said. "Mom and dad have basically not been there."

Both teens have admitted to drug use.

But VanBoskerck said there was no excuse for the random acts of violence the teens waged upon frail Las Vegans.

VanBoskerck described several of the incidents as "sneak attacks," in which one teen would hide and the other teen would use a ruse to distract the victim.

In one instance, Sara Morris, 80, was carrying groceries to her apartment when she was grabbed from behind. One of the teens placed his hand over her mouth while the other robbed her, VanBoskerck said.

In another case, 81-year-old Dorris Depot was riding in her motorized wheelchair when the teens approached her and told her they were looking for their lost pet, VanBoskerck said. When the woman tried to help, the teens attacked her and stole $20, he said.

Maria Chavaria, 59, had parked her car and was checking the mail when one of the teens attacked her and dragged her away from the parking lot and into a secluded area, VanBoskerck said. While one teen restrained her, the other stole her purse, he said.

In another incident, he said, one of the teens approached a 59-year-old man and begged for money. When the man reached in his wallet, the other teen allegedly struck the man in the face and stole $10.

The attorneys in court Wednesday recounted both teens' prior convictions in the juvenile system.

Jackson was given probation in two separate batteries and in another case involving one count each of conspiracy to commit grand larceny and destruction of property, they said.

The 15-year-old had his own problems in the past. He was sentenced to six months probation for conspiracy to commit robbery after he and two other teens held up a pizza delivery driver, and he is also awaiting the outcome of two other cases, which include an attempted burglary charge, the attorneys said.

In the cases pending before Steel, the attorneys for each defendant pointed the finger at the other defendant as the instigator behind the attacks.

Yanez said that Jackson carried out most of the physical attacks, doing most of the "grabbing, pushing and shoving." He called his client a follower.

But Guesman said Jackson was intimidated by the 15-year-old's older cousins, who had threatened to beat him up if he did not go along with the 15-year-old.