http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/08/31/teenager-gets-jail-sentence-after-seven-cent-robbery/?iid=moreonnf

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Teenager Gets Jail Sentence After Seven-Cent Robbery
By: Clara Kim




Robbing a handful of change and lying about it cost a 15-year-old a lifetime as a felon.

With his accomplice Skyler Ninham, Anthony Stewart ran up behind a 73-year-old man last December. Stewart punched the man in the face, while Ninham kicked him on the head. They were holding handguns, which Stewart later admitted were BB guns. The net gain of the crime was mere seven cents.

Stewart was sentenced to two to six years in juvenile detention on first degree robbery charge. After he finishes serving the terms, felony conviction will remain as his permanent record. Stewart's defense lawyer Laurin Haddad requested the boy be treated as a youthful offender, but Onondaga County Judge William Walsh rejected.

A few weeks ago, Ninham had gotten one to four years as a youthful offender after pleading guilty.

"For seven cents, now you're making someone a felon for the rest of his life," Haddad told Syracuse.com.

Well, the judge says the harsh sentencing was not just for the money he robbed but for lying about the crime. Stewart had confessed the crime right after the arrest but tried to fight the case by denying it later. He ineffectively argued that he and Ninham were at a friend's house when the robbery happened when Ninham and the victim identified Stewart as the accomplice.

"If you admitted like a man, then I would have sentenced you exactly as I did Mr. Ninham," the judge told Stewart, according to the Daily News. "But you still denied committing a crime, despite a mountain of evidence."

Stewart's lawyer told the Daily News that he would likely appeal. “It's a shame that this happened over seven cents,” Haddad said

This sounds absurd on the surface but is the amount stolen really much of a factor in the crime? This was assault!

Forgiveness Man wrote:

This sounds absurd on the surface but is the amount stolen really much of a factor in the crime? This was assault!

Yep. They stupid.

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"For seven cents, now you're making someone a felon for the rest of his life," Haddad told Syracuse.com.

uh...no. He a felon for assaulting a man & robbing him. That's a crime. Even if he had gotten nothing, he still committed the assault & there was the intent to rob him. A sentence shouldn't be based on a sliding scale of how little the robber managed to acquire.

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Stewart's lawyer told the Daily News that he would likely appeal. “It's a shame that this happened over seven cents,” Haddad said

No again. It didn't "happen" over seven cents. It happened because his client is a thieving little thug wannabe. I got NO sympathy for this kid.

I've got to agree, the seven cent thing is just to lure everyone in to read the story because everybody's thinking 'life felon for 7 cents? What the hell?' but yeah this is not about the money, it's about assault and battery of an old man in attempt to rob him. Anybody who does that to old people deserves to be a lifetime felon.

Yeah, how much they got is irrelevant. When I read the title, the first thing I thought was some kid got jail time for stealing a stick of gum or something. Totally different.

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"For seven cents, now you're making someone a felon for the rest of his life," Haddad told Syracuse.com

In this case, tough shit.

Supernova wrote:

I've got to agree, the seven cent thing is just to lure everyone in to read the story because everybody's thinking 'life felon for 7 cents? What the hell?' but yeah this is not about the money, it's about assault and battery of an old man in attempt to rob him. Anybody who does that to old people deserves to be a lifetime felon.

Anybody who does that to anybody deserves it. lol It's not like some kid stole some change from somebody's pockets or robbed a corner Santa Clause's bucket. lol This is assault and it shouldn't matter how much money he took.

CeCe wrote:

uh...no. He a felon for assaulting a man & robbing him. That's a crime. Even if he had gotten nothing, he still committed the assault & there was the intent to rob him. A sentence shouldn't be based on a sliding scale of how little the robber managed to acquire.



No again. It didn't "happen" over seven cents. It happened because his client is a thieving little thug wannabe. I got NO sympathy for this kid.

Supernova wrote:

I've got to agree, the seven cent thing is just to lure everyone in to read the story because everybody's thinking 'life felon for 7 cents? What the hell?' but yeah this is not about the money, it's about assault and battery of an old man in attempt to rob him. Anybody who does that to old people deserves to be a lifetime felon.

I agree. I'm mad that the "7¢" was even part of the story. That was just a way to sensationalize it. This was really about a little punk kid attacking an old man.