Overview
- Police say a 12-year-old attacked a 43-year-old woman near 23rd Avenue South and South Jackson Street on January 17, striking her and using a screwdriver before stealing her purse and returning to assault her again.
- Officers recognized the suspect from prior interactions and a hot pink ski mask description, obtained a search warrant, arrested him at his home, and recovered the screwdriver.
- At a first-appearance hearing Tuesday, a judge found probable cause for first-degree robbery and ordered the boy held in secure juvenile detention.
- Prosecutors said the arrest was for robbery, which under state law involves displaying a deadly weapon or inflicting bodily injury, and juvenile hearings determine release or detention rather than bail.
- Officials say the case is not eligible for diversion or transfer to adult court, a backdrop to ongoing discussions about juvenile charging policies and reported racial disparities in adult transfers.