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OSUsushichic
Fired up! Ready to go!
For the love of GOD, plllleeeeeeaaaaaase stop recruiting him. He's a LOSER! WHAT THE HELL IS TRESSEL THINKING!
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From the article:
"He stays in contact with them. One way or another they stay in contact with each other."
Translation:
Pat still calls and texts Fickell.
Chill out folks...
"He stays in contact with them. One way or another they stay in contact with each other."
Translation:
Pat still calls and texts Fickell.
Chill out folks...
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OSUsushichic
Fired up! Ready to go!
BuckeyeNation27;632840; said:
Well, I wasn't joking about the loser part. But let's trust the staff on this one. :p
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Great post, I agree.
In all honesty, though, OSU has to take a repuation hit because they can't respond. Hack columnists take the story are run with it and OSU is left looking like shite.
In all honesty, though, OSU has to take a repuation hit because they can't respond. Hack columnists take the story are run with it and OSU is left looking like shite.
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OSUsushichic;632807; said:
Sorry Sushi...just split so much shit out of this thread its hard to tell anymore.
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Washington Post
Whitman Defendant Agrees to Plead Guilty
Tuesday, October 17, 2006; Page E02
A former Whitman High football player accused of robbing a smoothie store last March with four classmates has agreed to plead guilty to armed robbery, Montgomery County prosecutors said yesterday.
As part of the plea agreement -- expected to become official during a hearing on Thursday -- prosecutors will ask a judge to sentence Robert Warren , 17, the gunman in the alleged robbery, to no more than 18 months in jail, Deputy State's Attorney Katherine Winfree said.
Warren could end up testifying against his codefendants if they go on trial, but his potential cooperation was not part of the agreement. It is unclear whether prosecutors or defense attorneys representing other teenagers charged in the case consider Warren a strong witness, but once convicted, he wouldn't be able to fight a subpoena by invoking his right to avoid self-incrimination.
David Driscoll , Warren's attorney, declined to comment.
Warren and three of his co-defendants played for the Whitman football and wrestling teams. The teenagers were transferred to other schools this fall after being charged with armed robbery and conspiracy for the March 30 heist of a Smoothie King store in Bethesda.
One of the players charged, All-Met linebacker Pat Lazear , is now at Wheaton High and is considered one of the top college prospects in the Washington area. Alex Krouskas , the only non-athlete charged, worked at the store and is accused of being a silent accomplice during the robbery, during which a fake gun was used.
Krouskas's attorney said Warren's plea was immaterial to her case.
"Our case is that he's innocent of any conspiracy," attorney Mariana Cordier said. "He did not commit the robbery, he did not conspire."
Another defendant, Justin Schweiger , is scheduled to go on trial Oct. 30. Lazear's trial date is set for Nov. 29.
"From our vantage point, nothing has changed," said Gary Diamond , Schweiger's lawyer. "Our trial date is still set and we're anticipating proceeding to trial and showing that our client is not guilty."
Lazear, Krouskas, Schweiger and defendant Tommy Ashley all deny the charges.
Whitman Defendant Agrees to Plead Guilty
Tuesday, October 17, 2006; Page E02
A former Whitman High football player accused of robbing a smoothie store last March with four classmates has agreed to plead guilty to armed robbery, Montgomery County prosecutors said yesterday.
As part of the plea agreement -- expected to become official during a hearing on Thursday -- prosecutors will ask a judge to sentence Robert Warren , 17, the gunman in the alleged robbery, to no more than 18 months in jail, Deputy State's Attorney Katherine Winfree said.
Warren could end up testifying against his codefendants if they go on trial, but his potential cooperation was not part of the agreement. It is unclear whether prosecutors or defense attorneys representing other teenagers charged in the case consider Warren a strong witness, but once convicted, he wouldn't be able to fight a subpoena by invoking his right to avoid self-incrimination.
David Driscoll , Warren's attorney, declined to comment.
Warren and three of his co-defendants played for the Whitman football and wrestling teams. The teenagers were transferred to other schools this fall after being charged with armed robbery and conspiracy for the March 30 heist of a Smoothie King store in Bethesda.
One of the players charged, All-Met linebacker Pat Lazear , is now at Wheaton High and is considered one of the top college prospects in the Washington area. Alex Krouskas , the only non-athlete charged, worked at the store and is accused of being a silent accomplice during the robbery, during which a fake gun was used.
Krouskas's attorney said Warren's plea was immaterial to her case.
"Our case is that he's innocent of any conspiracy," attorney Mariana Cordier said. "He did not commit the robbery, he did not conspire."
Another defendant, Justin Schweiger , is scheduled to go on trial Oct. 30. Lazear's trial date is set for Nov. 29.
"From our vantage point, nothing has changed," said Gary Diamond , Schweiger's lawyer. "Our trial date is still set and we're anticipating proceeding to trial and showing that our client is not guilty."
Lazear, Krouskas, Schweiger and defendant Tommy Ashley all deny the charges.
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Washington Post
All-Met Linebacker Said To Be Robbery Ringleader
By Josh Barr
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 20, 2006; Page E01
All-Met linebacker Pat Lazear played a prominent role in the planning and execution of an armed robbery in March that led to the arrest of four Whitman High School football players and another student, one of the players testified yesterday.
At his sentencing hearing in Montgomery County Circuit Court, Robert Warren testified that Lazear acted as the driver and provided him with the clothes he wore and the inoperable gun he used in the robbery of the Smoothie King store in Bethesda. Warren said the idea for the robbery came from Lazear and classmate Alex Krouskas, an employee at the store.
"They were like, 'Hey do you guys want to do this?' " Warren testified. "It wasn't my idea. . . . It was Pat's and Alex's."
Warren testified that when Krouskas expressed his misgivings about the plan, which also allegedly included football players Justin Schweiger and Tommy Ashley, Lazear insisted they go through with it.
"Alex was having second thoughts that he didn't want to do this and Pat got [angry] at him," Warren said. "He got mad at Alex. He was like: 'Naw, man, it's happening, man. We talked about it earlier.' . . . Pat walked away."
Lazear's attorney, Paul Kemp, declined to comment on Warren's testimony because he had not read the court transcript.
Warren pleaded guilty to felony armed robbery after prosecutors dropped a conspiracy charge and agreed to ask for a reduced sentence far shorter than the charge's maximum jail time of 20 years. Judge Paul H. Weinstein sentenced Warren to five years in jail but suspended all but 30 days, after which Warren will be required to spend 90 days in home detention. Warren also must keep a diary during his incarceration and lecture high school students about what he has learned from the incident.
The crime stunned many in the upper-middle-class community around Whitman. Lazear is considered one of the area's top college football prospects, having drawn interest from national powers such as Ohio State and Alabama. Yet he risked a likely scholarship in a robbery that netted only $463.
"Why were they engaged in this type of activity?" Assistant State's Attorney Tom DeGonia asked the court. "They don't need the money. They clearly don't want the notoriety. The state is left with the explanation that these are young men who feel for whatever reason they can get away with this. That's the most disturbing aspect of this."
In describing the robbery for the court, Warren said he initially had been led to believe all of his alleged accomplices -- except Krouskas, whom they thought would be working alone -- would enter the store. But as Lazear drove toward the store, Warren learned that only one person would go in. Lazear and Ashley ruled themselves out because of their easily distinguishable physical appearances, Warren said. Schweiger volunteered but Warren quickly took his place, Warren said.
"I made a very dumb decision to go in," Warren testified. "I saw Alex after I saw [the other employee]. I pointed the gun. I got the money. I put it in a bag and I ran to the car. Then we went to Uno's [a pizza restaurant] afterwards."
During yesterday's proceedings, DeGonia displayed the gun, which Warren testified he got from Lazear and has been described in hearings as a replica. DeGonia said that it certainly was imposing, especially given the threatening manner in which Warren pointed it at Krouskas and another employee who was unaware of the planned robbery.
"It is heavy. It is shiny. It has a magazine that goes into it," DeGonia said.
Warren testified that he and Lazear kept about $200, Krouskas was given $40 and that Schweiger and Ashley only got $5 each. Warren's girlfriend at the time, who also was in the car but was given immunity by prosecutors in exchange for her cooperation, also got $5.
To further his athletic career, Warren said he transferred from Kennedy High to Whitman prior to the 2005-06 school year after moving in with his father. He described a transition period that was difficult until he became close to Lazear and his group of friends.
"To be around this kid made me feel good," Warren said. "Kids looked up to him like they looked up to me at Kennedy. He was a god. It was ridiculous. I wanted that feeling. People would look up to me because I was friends with him. They were like: 'You're friends with Pat? Whoa.' I think that has a lot to do with all the other kids. That's kind of sad."
A Montgomery County schools hearing examiner overturned a recommendation to expel the five students and instead transferred them to other schools, allowing them to participate in extracurricular activities. While Lazear (Wheaton), Ashley (Richard Montgomery) and Schweiger (Rockville) were reassigned to regular high schools and have joined the football teams at their new schools, Warren was sent to the McKenney Hills Center, an alternative school in Silver Spring that does not have athletic teams. Krouskas was sent to Einstein High.
Warren told Weinstein he believes Lazear and others received preferential treatment because of their athletic ability.
"I think a lot of the citizens feel the same way, that it's a disgrace to the public education system in the county for the school board or the principal or whoever is in charge to allow him to play football," Weinstein said.
Warren's case was the first to be resolved. The next scheduled court date is Schweiger's trial on Oct. 30. Lazear, who still is being recruited by major college programs, is scheduled to be tried Nov. 29. Krouskas, the only non-athlete charged, is set for trial Jan. 8. Ashley's case was transferred to juvenile court.
All-Met Linebacker Said To Be Robbery Ringleader
By Josh Barr
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 20, 2006; Page E01
All-Met linebacker Pat Lazear played a prominent role in the planning and execution of an armed robbery in March that led to the arrest of four Whitman High School football players and another student, one of the players testified yesterday.
At his sentencing hearing in Montgomery County Circuit Court, Robert Warren testified that Lazear acted as the driver and provided him with the clothes he wore and the inoperable gun he used in the robbery of the Smoothie King store in Bethesda. Warren said the idea for the robbery came from Lazear and classmate Alex Krouskas, an employee at the store.
"They were like, 'Hey do you guys want to do this?' " Warren testified. "It wasn't my idea. . . . It was Pat's and Alex's."
Warren testified that when Krouskas expressed his misgivings about the plan, which also allegedly included football players Justin Schweiger and Tommy Ashley, Lazear insisted they go through with it.
"Alex was having second thoughts that he didn't want to do this and Pat got [angry] at him," Warren said. "He got mad at Alex. He was like: 'Naw, man, it's happening, man. We talked about it earlier.' . . . Pat walked away."
Lazear's attorney, Paul Kemp, declined to comment on Warren's testimony because he had not read the court transcript.
Warren pleaded guilty to felony armed robbery after prosecutors dropped a conspiracy charge and agreed to ask for a reduced sentence far shorter than the charge's maximum jail time of 20 years. Judge Paul H. Weinstein sentenced Warren to five years in jail but suspended all but 30 days, after which Warren will be required to spend 90 days in home detention. Warren also must keep a diary during his incarceration and lecture high school students about what he has learned from the incident.
The crime stunned many in the upper-middle-class community around Whitman. Lazear is considered one of the area's top college football prospects, having drawn interest from national powers such as Ohio State and Alabama. Yet he risked a likely scholarship in a robbery that netted only $463.
"Why were they engaged in this type of activity?" Assistant State's Attorney Tom DeGonia asked the court. "They don't need the money. They clearly don't want the notoriety. The state is left with the explanation that these are young men who feel for whatever reason they can get away with this. That's the most disturbing aspect of this."
In describing the robbery for the court, Warren said he initially had been led to believe all of his alleged accomplices -- except Krouskas, whom they thought would be working alone -- would enter the store. But as Lazear drove toward the store, Warren learned that only one person would go in. Lazear and Ashley ruled themselves out because of their easily distinguishable physical appearances, Warren said. Schweiger volunteered but Warren quickly took his place, Warren said.
"I made a very dumb decision to go in," Warren testified. "I saw Alex after I saw [the other employee]. I pointed the gun. I got the money. I put it in a bag and I ran to the car. Then we went to Uno's [a pizza restaurant] afterwards."
During yesterday's proceedings, DeGonia displayed the gun, which Warren testified he got from Lazear and has been described in hearings as a replica. DeGonia said that it certainly was imposing, especially given the threatening manner in which Warren pointed it at Krouskas and another employee who was unaware of the planned robbery.
"It is heavy. It is shiny. It has a magazine that goes into it," DeGonia said.
Warren testified that he and Lazear kept about $200, Krouskas was given $40 and that Schweiger and Ashley only got $5 each. Warren's girlfriend at the time, who also was in the car but was given immunity by prosecutors in exchange for her cooperation, also got $5.
To further his athletic career, Warren said he transferred from Kennedy High to Whitman prior to the 2005-06 school year after moving in with his father. He described a transition period that was difficult until he became close to Lazear and his group of friends.
"To be around this kid made me feel good," Warren said. "Kids looked up to him like they looked up to me at Kennedy. He was a god. It was ridiculous. I wanted that feeling. People would look up to me because I was friends with him. They were like: 'You're friends with Pat? Whoa.' I think that has a lot to do with all the other kids. That's kind of sad."
A Montgomery County schools hearing examiner overturned a recommendation to expel the five students and instead transferred them to other schools, allowing them to participate in extracurricular activities. While Lazear (Wheaton), Ashley (Richard Montgomery) and Schweiger (Rockville) were reassigned to regular high schools and have joined the football teams at their new schools, Warren was sent to the McKenney Hills Center, an alternative school in Silver Spring that does not have athletic teams. Krouskas was sent to Einstein High.
Warren told Weinstein he believes Lazear and others received preferential treatment because of their athletic ability.
"I think a lot of the citizens feel the same way, that it's a disgrace to the public education system in the county for the school board or the principal or whoever is in charge to allow him to play football," Weinstein said.
Warren's case was the first to be resolved. The next scheduled court date is Schweiger's trial on Oct. 30. Lazear, who still is being recruited by major college programs, is scheduled to be tried Nov. 29. Krouskas, the only non-athlete charged, is set for trial Jan. 8. Ashley's case was transferred to juvenile court.
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Teen gets 30 days in jail for Smoothie robbery
Thursday, Oct. 19, 2006
**********:window.print();
by Chris Williams
Staff Writer
A former Walt Whitman High School student will serve 30 days in jail after pleading guilty Thursday to first-degree armed robbery. Robert Warren, 17, of Bethesda, pleaded guilty in Circuit Court as part of an agreement with the Montgomery County State?s Attorneys office in which prosecutors recommended that he serve no more than 18 months for his role in the March 30 robbery of a Bethesda Smoothie King store.
??What I?m about to do, young man, is not going to be very pleasant for you,? Judge Paul H. Weinstein said in sentencing Warren. ??However, you?ve done something that is very stupid and a very serious crime.?
Weinstein sentenced Warren to seven years in prison, suspending all but four months of the time. Warren will serve 30 days of the sentence at the Montgomery County Detention Center in Clarksburg and the remaining 90 days under house arrest.
??The sentence I?ve decided on is not intended to destroy your life either,? Weinstein said. ??Because I?m a very firm believer in education.?
Weinstein gave Warren a diary to keep during his 30 days in Clarksburg, instructing him to return it to the judge upon his release. Warren will then be required to speak at two Montgomery County high schools about what he learned during his time at the detention center.
Warren and four classmates who attended Whitman ? Thomas Ashley III, Alexander Krouskas, Patrick Lazear and Justin Schweiger ? are charged in the March 30 armed robbery of a Smoothie King store on Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Warren, Krouskas, Lazear and Schweiger are all being tried as adults, while Ashley will face charges in juvenile court.
Warren?s attorney, David Driscoll, described him as a star athlete and popular student at Kennedy High School in Wheaton before transferring to Whitman for the 2005-06 school year.
??He was a much bigger fish in that small pond than the pond he waded into at Whitman,? Driscoll said.
Warren told the judge Thursday that Lazear, a star athlete at Whitman now attending Wheaton High School where he is the captain of the football team, was the driving force of the robbery.
??I know completely what I did was wrong and there?s nothing I can say that can take that back,? Warren said. ??When you ask ?why,? I did it because ? Pat wanted to....To be around this kid made me feel good. People looked up to him like they looked up to me at Kennedy. People looked at him like he was a god.?
Warren said that Krouskas, who worked at the store, and Lazear formulated the plan to steal the money from the store and make it look like an armed robbery using a fake gun supplied by Lazear. Krouskas was the only employee who was supposed to be in the store at the time of the robbery, Warren said.
Lazear?s attorney, Paul Kemp, was in court in Washington, D.C. on Thursday and could not be reached for comment.
During an Aug. 30 hearing in Circuit Court, Lazear?s mother, Angela Lazear, placed more of the blame for the incident on Warren.
??It?s just a shock that he was involved,? Angela Lazear said of her son. ??We know that Robert Warren was not a good influence, but [Pat] seemed to befriend him and kind of wanted to take care of Robert. [Warren] had some issues.?
Warren is the only one of the five co-defendants to be removed from Montgomery County Public Schools. He is currently attending McKinley Technical High School in the District, where is he is ??above the curve,? Driscoll said. Lazear is attending Wheaton while Schweiger is attending and playing football at Rockville High. Ashley is attending Richard Montgomery High and Krouskas is attending Albert Einstein High.
According to prosecutors and charging documents, the five students are accused of planning the robbery together during school. Charging documents describe the following account of the robbery: Warren entered the store on the night of the robbery carrying a gun and demanded money from the two employees on duty. Krouskas was one of the two employees working at the time. Warren received $463 in cash and fled the store to Bethesda Elementary School, where Warren?s car, driven by Lazear, was waiting. Schweiger, Ashley and Warren?s girlfriend, who is not identified in the documents and was not charged, were passengers in the car. The four then drove to dinner at a nearby pizza restaurant, where Krouskas soon joined them.
Trial dates for Schweiger, Lazear and Krouskas are scheduled for Oct. 30, Nov. 29 and Jan. 8 respectively.
Teen gets 30 days in jail for Smoothie robbery
Thursday, Oct. 19, 2006
**********:window.print();
by Chris Williams
Staff Writer
A former Walt Whitman High School student will serve 30 days in jail after pleading guilty Thursday to first-degree armed robbery. Robert Warren, 17, of Bethesda, pleaded guilty in Circuit Court as part of an agreement with the Montgomery County State?s Attorneys office in which prosecutors recommended that he serve no more than 18 months for his role in the March 30 robbery of a Bethesda Smoothie King store.
??What I?m about to do, young man, is not going to be very pleasant for you,? Judge Paul H. Weinstein said in sentencing Warren. ??However, you?ve done something that is very stupid and a very serious crime.?
Weinstein sentenced Warren to seven years in prison, suspending all but four months of the time. Warren will serve 30 days of the sentence at the Montgomery County Detention Center in Clarksburg and the remaining 90 days under house arrest.
??The sentence I?ve decided on is not intended to destroy your life either,? Weinstein said. ??Because I?m a very firm believer in education.?
Weinstein gave Warren a diary to keep during his 30 days in Clarksburg, instructing him to return it to the judge upon his release. Warren will then be required to speak at two Montgomery County high schools about what he learned during his time at the detention center.
Warren and four classmates who attended Whitman ? Thomas Ashley III, Alexander Krouskas, Patrick Lazear and Justin Schweiger ? are charged in the March 30 armed robbery of a Smoothie King store on Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Warren, Krouskas, Lazear and Schweiger are all being tried as adults, while Ashley will face charges in juvenile court.
Warren?s attorney, David Driscoll, described him as a star athlete and popular student at Kennedy High School in Wheaton before transferring to Whitman for the 2005-06 school year.
??He was a much bigger fish in that small pond than the pond he waded into at Whitman,? Driscoll said.
Warren told the judge Thursday that Lazear, a star athlete at Whitman now attending Wheaton High School where he is the captain of the football team, was the driving force of the robbery.
??I know completely what I did was wrong and there?s nothing I can say that can take that back,? Warren said. ??When you ask ?why,? I did it because ? Pat wanted to....To be around this kid made me feel good. People looked up to him like they looked up to me at Kennedy. People looked at him like he was a god.?
Warren said that Krouskas, who worked at the store, and Lazear formulated the plan to steal the money from the store and make it look like an armed robbery using a fake gun supplied by Lazear. Krouskas was the only employee who was supposed to be in the store at the time of the robbery, Warren said.
Lazear?s attorney, Paul Kemp, was in court in Washington, D.C. on Thursday and could not be reached for comment.
During an Aug. 30 hearing in Circuit Court, Lazear?s mother, Angela Lazear, placed more of the blame for the incident on Warren.
??It?s just a shock that he was involved,? Angela Lazear said of her son. ??We know that Robert Warren was not a good influence, but [Pat] seemed to befriend him and kind of wanted to take care of Robert. [Warren] had some issues.?
Warren is the only one of the five co-defendants to be removed from Montgomery County Public Schools. He is currently attending McKinley Technical High School in the District, where is he is ??above the curve,? Driscoll said. Lazear is attending Wheaton while Schweiger is attending and playing football at Rockville High. Ashley is attending Richard Montgomery High and Krouskas is attending Albert Einstein High.
According to prosecutors and charging documents, the five students are accused of planning the robbery together during school. Charging documents describe the following account of the robbery: Warren entered the store on the night of the robbery carrying a gun and demanded money from the two employees on duty. Krouskas was one of the two employees working at the time. Warren received $463 in cash and fled the store to Bethesda Elementary School, where Warren?s car, driven by Lazear, was waiting. Schweiger, Ashley and Warren?s girlfriend, who is not identified in the documents and was not charged, were passengers in the car. The four then drove to dinner at a nearby pizza restaurant, where Krouskas soon joined them.
Trial dates for Schweiger, Lazear and Krouskas are scheduled for Oct. 30, Nov. 29 and Jan. 8 respectively.
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OSUsushichic;638924; said:
I'm guessing Pat shouldn't hold his breath for a Xmas card from you Sushi...
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Warren Receives One Month in Jail
Former Whitman student receives five-year prison sentence, with all but four months suspended.
By Alex Scofield/The Almanac
October 26, 2006Minutes before Robert Warren was to receive a sentence for armed robbery, Judge Paul H. Weinstein asked him why he?d done it. Few in the courtroom expected to hear the detailed answer Warren gave.
"I don?t think anybody was anticipating that was going to happen," said Assistant State?s Attorney Tom DeGonia.
AFTER HEARING Warren?s statement, Weinstein said, "What I?m about to do, young man, is not going to be very pleasant for you."
Weinstein sentenced Warren to five years? imprisonment, with all but four months suspended, at a sentencing hearing in Montgomery County Circuit Court on Thursday, Oct. 19. Warren will serve 30 days in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility near Clarksburg, and spend the remaining 90 days on supervised house arrest. As part of special conditions of sentencing, Weinstein ordered Warren to keep a daily diary while he is in the Clarksburg jail, and to speak to two high schools about his experience there.
Warren, whose head was shaved nearly bald, cooperated while he was handcuffed and led out of the courtroom.
Warren is one of five former Walt Whitman High School students to be indicted for armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery in relation to the holdup of a Smoothie King in Bethesda last March. All five students have been transferred by the county to different schools. Three of them ? Patrick Lazear, Justin Schweiger and Alexander Krouskas ? will be tried as adults in the upcoming months. The other one, Thomas Ashley, will be tried as a juvenile.
According to police, Warren wore a mask and a hooded sweatshirt when he entered the Smoothie King at 7200 Wisconsin Ave. in Bethesda on March 30, approached two male employees ? one of whom was Krouskas ? displayed a handgun and demanded money. Police said the employees gave the Warren $463 in cash, and he fled the store and went to a vehicle driven by Lazear, where Schweiger, Ashley, and Warren?s then-girlfriend were waiting.
"THIS IS ROBERT?S time for accountability," said David Driscoll, Warren?s attorney, at Thursday?s sentencing hearing.
Driscoll acknowledged that Warren was a willing participant in a "planned theft." However, he took issue with descriptions of Warren as the leader. "The characterization of Robert as the Alpha male ? was probably self-serving," Driscoll said.
"It?s wrong-headed and ill-advised to plan the robbery in the first place," said Driscoll, and it was equally wrong-headed to continue with the plan once inside, with somebody besides Krouskas at the cash register. "There?s nothing about the plan that has any worthwhile aspect to it," Driscoll said.
Driscoll also said that Warren?s case has been "exposed to the very harsh light of the media." Many defendants, Driscoll said, "never contend with the public aspect of this proceeding." In a probable allusion to Lazear, a football linebacker/running back who was being recruited by more than 20 Division I college programs, Driscoll said, "What drives this coverage, I think, is not Robert."
Driscoll asked the court to consider that the gun was not Warren?s. "He expects some period of incarceration. ? We?re going to ask for it to be the shortest possible length of time," Driscoll said. "He?s nervous about what you?re going to do. I?m nervous about what you?re going to do."
"THE SERIOUSNESS of this offense calls for a serious sentence," said prosecutor DeGonia, who determined the applicable sentencing guidelines to call for a sentence of 2-7 years. DeGonia had requested 18 months in jail for Warren, who had a prior juvenile adjudication for discharging a weapon, according to DeGonia.
At the hearing, DeGonia described "everyone?s inability to answer the question why. ? They didn?t need the money; they clearly didn?t want the notoriety."
For whatever reason, DeGonia said, "These are young men who feel ? that they can get away with it. ? They don?t think there is going to be any consequence for what they did," DeGonia said.
DeGonia demonstrated the gun Warren used when he entered the Smoothie King. The gun is heavy, shiny and has a magazine, he said. An officer on the scene would have been completely justified in shooting somebody wielding the gun, DeGonia said.
"This wasn?t a youthful indiscretion; this is armed robbery," DeGonia said. He said Warren carried out his role with enthusiasm. He said an 18-month cap on Warren?s jail time would keep him incarcerated locally. "He has to understand that this type of behavior is unacceptable," DeGonia said.
BEFORE JUDGE WEINSTEIN sentenced Warren, he asked if Warren wished to say anything. Warren spoke at great length.
"I know completely what I did was wrong," Warren said. He added there was nothing that he could say to justify what he had done or make himself look like a good person.
Warren then described how out of his element he felt after transferring into Whitman from John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring. "To answer why, I wanted to fit in," Warren said.
"I was the big dog in [Kennedy]," Warren said. He said he was one of the school?s best athletes, he was a good student, and his teachers and classmates liked him.
"I transferred to Whitman. ? I was a much smaller fish," Warren said. "When I went there ? I didn?t get along with [most] of the kids."
It wasn?t until partway through the wrestling season in the winter that Warren began talking much to the students who would later become his codefendants, he said. Referring to Lazear, Warren said, "To be around this kid made me feel good. ? He was a god. ? I wanted that feeling.
"It?s kind of sad ? the fact that I couldn?t distinguish myself from another person," Warren added.
THE IDEA TO ROB the Smoothie King where Krouskas worked came up during school, Warren said.
"It wasn?t my idea," Warren said, adding that it wasn?t Schweiger?s or Ashley?s idea. "It was Pat and Alex?s."
Later that day, Warren said Krouskas was reconsidering the idea. "Pat got pissed at him," Warren said.
Warren said that both he and Krouskas had second thoughts. "I told Pat ? ?I?m not sure about this.? ? I thought that all of us were going to do it," Warren said, later adding, "I never thought that we were going to single one person out."
Warren said that Lazear and Ashley were both too recognizable to enter the Smoothie King. "To be honest, it was down between me and Justin. ? I made the very, very dumb decision to go in," Warren said.
Warren said he entered Smoothie King, an employee came out who wasn?t Krouskas, but Warren went ahead with the plan, took the money and put it in a bag, and walked out. He said he then went out for pizza with Lazear, Schweiger and Ashley.
"All the other kids are good kids. We just made a horrible mistake," Warren said.
JUDGE WEINSTEIN asked Warren about his plans for the future. Warren said he was interested in a number of colleges, including Penn State, Colorado State, Penn and the University of South Carolina. He took the SAT, but wasn?t sure if he?d be allowed to go out of state to college.
As Weinstein sentenced Warren, he produced a notepad that he wanted Warren to use as a diary while in jail. He wanted to review the diary after Warren finished his sentence, and then have Warren speak to at least two high schools about his experience.
"Hopefully it will deter somebody else your age," Weinstein said.
DeGonia had similar sentiments after the hearing.
"I think the judge is looking for something positive to come out of it," DeGonia said, who said that such conditions were not very common, but not inappropriate, either. "Hopefully he goes on with his life and does what he is supposed to do now."
Warren Receives One Month in Jail
Former Whitman student receives five-year prison sentence, with all but four months suspended.
By Alex Scofield/The Almanac
October 26, 2006Minutes before Robert Warren was to receive a sentence for armed robbery, Judge Paul H. Weinstein asked him why he?d done it. Few in the courtroom expected to hear the detailed answer Warren gave.
"I don?t think anybody was anticipating that was going to happen," said Assistant State?s Attorney Tom DeGonia.
AFTER HEARING Warren?s statement, Weinstein said, "What I?m about to do, young man, is not going to be very pleasant for you."
Weinstein sentenced Warren to five years? imprisonment, with all but four months suspended, at a sentencing hearing in Montgomery County Circuit Court on Thursday, Oct. 19. Warren will serve 30 days in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility near Clarksburg, and spend the remaining 90 days on supervised house arrest. As part of special conditions of sentencing, Weinstein ordered Warren to keep a daily diary while he is in the Clarksburg jail, and to speak to two high schools about his experience there.
Warren, whose head was shaved nearly bald, cooperated while he was handcuffed and led out of the courtroom.
Warren is one of five former Walt Whitman High School students to be indicted for armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery in relation to the holdup of a Smoothie King in Bethesda last March. All five students have been transferred by the county to different schools. Three of them ? Patrick Lazear, Justin Schweiger and Alexander Krouskas ? will be tried as adults in the upcoming months. The other one, Thomas Ashley, will be tried as a juvenile.
According to police, Warren wore a mask and a hooded sweatshirt when he entered the Smoothie King at 7200 Wisconsin Ave. in Bethesda on March 30, approached two male employees ? one of whom was Krouskas ? displayed a handgun and demanded money. Police said the employees gave the Warren $463 in cash, and he fled the store and went to a vehicle driven by Lazear, where Schweiger, Ashley, and Warren?s then-girlfriend were waiting.
"THIS IS ROBERT?S time for accountability," said David Driscoll, Warren?s attorney, at Thursday?s sentencing hearing.
Driscoll acknowledged that Warren was a willing participant in a "planned theft." However, he took issue with descriptions of Warren as the leader. "The characterization of Robert as the Alpha male ? was probably self-serving," Driscoll said.
"It?s wrong-headed and ill-advised to plan the robbery in the first place," said Driscoll, and it was equally wrong-headed to continue with the plan once inside, with somebody besides Krouskas at the cash register. "There?s nothing about the plan that has any worthwhile aspect to it," Driscoll said.
Driscoll also said that Warren?s case has been "exposed to the very harsh light of the media." Many defendants, Driscoll said, "never contend with the public aspect of this proceeding." In a probable allusion to Lazear, a football linebacker/running back who was being recruited by more than 20 Division I college programs, Driscoll said, "What drives this coverage, I think, is not Robert."
Driscoll asked the court to consider that the gun was not Warren?s. "He expects some period of incarceration. ? We?re going to ask for it to be the shortest possible length of time," Driscoll said. "He?s nervous about what you?re going to do. I?m nervous about what you?re going to do."
"THE SERIOUSNESS of this offense calls for a serious sentence," said prosecutor DeGonia, who determined the applicable sentencing guidelines to call for a sentence of 2-7 years. DeGonia had requested 18 months in jail for Warren, who had a prior juvenile adjudication for discharging a weapon, according to DeGonia.
At the hearing, DeGonia described "everyone?s inability to answer the question why. ? They didn?t need the money; they clearly didn?t want the notoriety."
For whatever reason, DeGonia said, "These are young men who feel ? that they can get away with it. ? They don?t think there is going to be any consequence for what they did," DeGonia said.
DeGonia demonstrated the gun Warren used when he entered the Smoothie King. The gun is heavy, shiny and has a magazine, he said. An officer on the scene would have been completely justified in shooting somebody wielding the gun, DeGonia said.
"This wasn?t a youthful indiscretion; this is armed robbery," DeGonia said. He said Warren carried out his role with enthusiasm. He said an 18-month cap on Warren?s jail time would keep him incarcerated locally. "He has to understand that this type of behavior is unacceptable," DeGonia said.
BEFORE JUDGE WEINSTEIN sentenced Warren, he asked if Warren wished to say anything. Warren spoke at great length.
"I know completely what I did was wrong," Warren said. He added there was nothing that he could say to justify what he had done or make himself look like a good person.
Warren then described how out of his element he felt after transferring into Whitman from John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring. "To answer why, I wanted to fit in," Warren said.
"I was the big dog in [Kennedy]," Warren said. He said he was one of the school?s best athletes, he was a good student, and his teachers and classmates liked him.
"I transferred to Whitman. ? I was a much smaller fish," Warren said. "When I went there ? I didn?t get along with [most] of the kids."
It wasn?t until partway through the wrestling season in the winter that Warren began talking much to the students who would later become his codefendants, he said. Referring to Lazear, Warren said, "To be around this kid made me feel good. ? He was a god. ? I wanted that feeling.
"It?s kind of sad ? the fact that I couldn?t distinguish myself from another person," Warren added.
THE IDEA TO ROB the Smoothie King where Krouskas worked came up during school, Warren said.
"It wasn?t my idea," Warren said, adding that it wasn?t Schweiger?s or Ashley?s idea. "It was Pat and Alex?s."
Later that day, Warren said Krouskas was reconsidering the idea. "Pat got pissed at him," Warren said.
Warren said that both he and Krouskas had second thoughts. "I told Pat ? ?I?m not sure about this.? ? I thought that all of us were going to do it," Warren said, later adding, "I never thought that we were going to single one person out."
Warren said that Lazear and Ashley were both too recognizable to enter the Smoothie King. "To be honest, it was down between me and Justin. ? I made the very, very dumb decision to go in," Warren said.
Warren said he entered Smoothie King, an employee came out who wasn?t Krouskas, but Warren went ahead with the plan, took the money and put it in a bag, and walked out. He said he then went out for pizza with Lazear, Schweiger and Ashley.
"All the other kids are good kids. We just made a horrible mistake," Warren said.
JUDGE WEINSTEIN asked Warren about his plans for the future. Warren said he was interested in a number of colleges, including Penn State, Colorado State, Penn and the University of South Carolina. He took the SAT, but wasn?t sure if he?d be allowed to go out of state to college.
As Weinstein sentenced Warren, he produced a notepad that he wanted Warren to use as a diary while in jail. He wanted to review the diary after Warren finished his sentence, and then have Warren speak to at least two high schools about his experience.
"Hopefully it will deter somebody else your age," Weinstein said.
DeGonia had similar sentiments after the hearing.
"I think the judge is looking for something positive to come out of it," DeGonia said, who said that such conditions were not very common, but not inappropriate, either. "Hopefully he goes on with his life and does what he is supposed to do now."
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