Juvenile Convicted of Armed Robbery Released from Prison
In a case that has gained national attention (and was also covered here: Juvenile Sentence in Utah Armed Robbery Case Too Severe, Says Father), 17-year-old Cooper Van Huizen was released from the Utah State Prison for his part in an armed robbery after being incarcerated in the adult prison in May of this year. Both the sentencing and release were unorthodox, but Van Huizen seems to have learned from the experience.
Juvenile Armed Robbery Taken to Adult Court
In November of 2013, Van Huizen and four others committed the armed robbery at a home in Roy, holding two people at gunpoint while they demanded drugs and money. According to a report from KSL News, Van Huizen took one of the guns used in the armed robbery from his home.
The teen’s father, Marc Van Huizen, who has been very vocal regarding this case from the beginning, claims that the weapon was unloaded and “broken,” and that his son didn’t brandish the weapon the night of the crime. Nor did he instigate or organize the crime, according to Marc Van Huizen. He says his son was just hanging around with the wrong crowd.
None of these factors seemed to matter to 2nd District Judge Ernie Jones who sentenced Van Huizen to two concurrent terms of one to 15 years in the Utah State Prison. As can happen in situations like this, the case had been transferred from juvenile court to adult court because of the nature of the crime. When a juvenile commits a crime that is considered a felony if committed by an adult, the prosecution can seek to have the case heard in adult court.
However, Jones went against the plea agreement and the pre-sentence report recommendation. When Van Huizen went into court, he believed he would receive a little jail time and probation, which would ultimately result in his convictions being reduced to misdemeanors. Clearly Jones felt that was insufficient for the boy’s part in the armed robbery.
The teen spent 44 days in a Roy juvenile detention facility before being transferred to Point of the Mountain, where he was placed in maximum security for two weeks. During that two weeks, he had to stay in his cell 23 hours a day. According to prison officials, this was “for his own safety and well-being while his needs were assessed and a proper placement decision was made for him.” Then he was transferred to the Daggett County Jail.
Lessons Learned
On Wednesday, Nov. 5, Van Huizen was released from the state prison after his first hearing before the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole the day before. The decision of whether to grant parole usually takes the board up to two weeks to decide, however, in a surprise move, it only took an hour for the decision.
Chyleen Arbon, the board member who conducted the hearing, said to Van Huizen, “You seem like a delightful young man, quite frankly, very respectful. It sounds like you’re put a lot into this experience.”
Van Huizen confirmed this with his own statements. “I was really depressed and really said … This has honestly made me a completely different person … I never want to come back to a place like this.”
Van Huizen also said he really didn’t understand why he was sentenced to prison and felt like his attorneys didn’t really defend him. “It was in the juvenile court hearing, my attorney did not say one word to the judge.”
Fortunately for Van Huizen, he is out of prison and able to move on with his life. However, it was at the cost of six months of his life. Van Huizen’s comments about his attorney serve to illustrate the importance of good legal representation.
If your son or daughter has been accused of armed robbery or any other crime, regardless of whether the prosecution is attempting to move the case to an adult court, it is in your best interests to contact an experienced juvenile defense attorney who will stand up and speak out for your child’s best interests.
