Teen’s bond revoked
A Fayette County judge ruled Monday that two alleged strikes in two months was enough to put Antonio Lanko back in the county prison. Judge Steve P. Leskinen ruled that 16-year-old Lanko’s bond should be revoked after state police charged that he took part in an attack on two lost Ohio motorists last week. Assistant District Attorney Phyllis A. Jin made a similar request last month after Lanko was charged with fleeing from police in a stolen car, but Judge Ralph C. Warman ruled that there was not enough evidence to warrant his bond being revoked.
Lanko had bond in two cases, both of which deal with robberies. He was charged as an adult in both cases.
In one of those cases, Lanko had been charged with criminal homicide, but that charge was dropped when he agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
In addition to the charge being dropped, Lanko was also given a $35,000 ROR bond in that December 2001 case, which meant that neither he nor his family was required to post any money. Warman issued that bond.
Leskinen revoked that bond, as well as a $5,000 bond posted by a bondsmen before District Justice Mark Blair in an unrelated November 2001 robbery case.
Jin’s latest revocation request was filed on the basis that Lanko was one of six teens who robbed a lost Ohio couple in the Snyder Terrace section of Bierer Wood Acres in South Union Township on July 28.
According to the arrest warrant, Lanko, along with Virdell Banks, Isiah Colbert, Joe Hines, Travis Branch and a 14-year-old boy whose name was not released, held open the doors to Christopher Volpe’s Lexus, beat him and robbed him of $100.
Police said Volpe and his passenger, Lisa Auerbach, were lost and accidentally headed into the housing project around 3:30 a.m. Colbert was reportedly driving a car behind the couple when the teens allegedly got out and forced open the drivers and passengers doors.
Lanko allegedly threatened the couple during the incident.
He, along with the others, was charged as an adult with criminal conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, recklessly endangering another person, theft and two counts each of aggravated and simple assaults.
District Justice Rick Vernon, who arraigned Lanko in this matter, put him in jail on $100,000 straight cash bond.
Later this month and early next month, Lanko has two court appearances scheduled. During those appearances, he will ask a judge to switch his adult robbery charges to juvenile court. Although prosecutors initially said they would not oppose the switch, Jin said the position may change with the additional charges filed against Lanko.