Teenager pleads guilty following string of Washington robberies, attack on woman in Penn Quarter

WASHINGTON (7News) — A teenager accused of a series of assaults in Washington over the summer pleaded guilty Tuesday afternoon to several charges before a judge sentenced her to probation.

The 16-year-old, who was 15 at the time of the July incidents, pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal to three counts of second-degree robbery, one count of simple assault and one count of attempted second-degree theft. second degree.

The prosecution asked that she be sentenced to one year of probation and the defense countered by asking for six months. Ultimately, the judge sentenced her to a year of probation, telling the 16-year-old he would send her to a secure out-of-state detention center if she went against of his probation, which includes a stay order for the co-respondent.

The prosecution said that if the case had gone to trial, it would have proven the teenager’s involvement in four incidents:

• Prosecutors said the defendant and another person assaulted a woman and stole her handbag before fleeing in a van.
• Two hours later, they said she and another person approached a woman and asked her to use her cellphone before assaulting her and trying to take her purse.
• The government said she and another person assaulted someone else.
• Then three minutes later, he hit another woman in the head and body and robbed her, according to the prosecution.

Kate Rios was involved in the second attack, when she was walking near the intersection of D Street and 8th Street, Northwest, on her way to an appointment on July 21.

“I used to be someone who loved helping people and now I’m so scared that someone will hurt me,” she told 7News.

Rios read a statement in court before the teen’s sentencing Tuesday. Another victim appeared in court virtually and the prosecution read her statement aloud.

The accused addressed the court, saying she wanted to “sincerely apologize” and took “full responsibility” for “her actions”.

“You deserve justice and compassion,” she said, addressing the victims. “I hope you find a way to forgive me.”

“I hope she’s not violating her probation,” Rios told 7News. “I hope this is a defining moment in his life.”

The teenager was initially accused of several assaults and thefts over a two-day period:

• Simple Assault: The attack on the woman in Penn Quarter
• Theft (force and violence): Sunday. On July 21, 2024, at approximately 10 p.m., the suspects approached the victim in the 1900 block of Lincoln Road, Northeast. The suspects attacked the victim and took his property, then fled.
• Robbery (force and violence): On Sunday, July 21, 2024, at approximately 10:37 p.m., the suspects approached the victim in the 1000 block of Rhode Island Avenue, Northeast. The suspects attacked the victim and took his property, then fled.
• Assault with Intent to Rob: On Sunday, July 21, 2024, between 10:30 p.m. and 10:40 p.m., the suspects approached the victim in the 2400 block of Market Street, Northeast. The suspects demanded property and assaulted the victim. The suspects were unable to obtain any property and then fled the scene.
• Robbery (force and violence): On Monday, July 22, 2024, at approximately 1:53 p.m., the suspects approached the victim at the corner of 10th Street and French Street, northwest. The suspects attacked the victim and took his property, then fled.
• Robbery (force and violence): On Monday, July 22, 2024, at approximately 1:55 p.m., the suspects approached the victim in the 400 block of N Street, Northwest. The suspects attacked the victim and took his property, then fled.