Six of the teenagers convicted of carrying out assaults on University students received sentences from Charlottesville Juvenile Judge Susan L. Whitlock last Tuesday, bringing some closure to the attacks which have exacerbated tensions between the city and the University in recent months.
Of the six teenagers, one, a 17-year old female who participated in the September attack as well as all four of the January attacks, was sentenced to six months in the Department of Juvenile Justice. Whitlock ordered a court review for July 23 in which the sentence may be reduced.
City Commonwealth Attorney Elizabeth V. Killeen, who presented the case, described DJJ, which handles longer term incarcerations than a juvenile detention center, as "military school style."
"DJJ has a battery of services, including classes and anger management courses," Killeen said.
A second defendant, an 18-year-old male who was 17 at the time of the attacks, was sentenced to house arrest through December 17, at which time he also will have a court review. He participated in each of the four attacks that occurred in January.
The four remaining defendants, each of which participated in only one of the assaults, all negotiated plea bargains with prosecuting attorneys in which they pled guilty to a felony charge.
The four teenagers received a community service commitment and probation time, as well as responsibility for all non-insured medical bills sustained by the victims. They have the opportunity to reduce their felony charge to a misdemeanor at an April 8, 2003 hearing, pending good behavior.
Rising fourth-year College student Robert Benjamin Bateman, one of the victims, attended the trial.
Bateman said he did not feel house arrest was an adequate punishment for his assailant, the 18-year-old male.
"I wasn't very satisfied with his apology," Bateman said, referring to the defendant's remarks to the court during the trial, which Bateman described as vague. "Even if he is remorseful, that doesn't mean he shouldn't be punished."
The commonwealth attorneys chose not to prosecute the teenagers as adults in accordance with standard principles.
"These cases did not fit among those we have tried as adult cases," said Commonwealth Attorney David Chapman, who collaborated with Killeen and was present at the sentencing.
Chapman added that, while Whitlock did not concur with all of the prosecution's recommendations, he was not disappointed with the sentencing.
"In one instant there was significant departure from our recommendation," Chapman said. "But we have respect for all decisions made."
The 17-year-old female sentenced to DJJ had planned to attend Virginia State University in the fall. According to VSU spokesman Thomas Reed, a felony conviction does not automatically nullify a student's chance of attending the school.
"It's not an iron clause," Reed said. But "being convicted of a felony could pose a problem."
Reed added that, since the defendant is a minor, they do not know the identity of the student at this time.
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