Teen withdraws request to be tried as juvenile
On the day 16-year-old Antonio Lanko was supposed to present evidence that he should be treated as a juvenile for allegedly participating in two robberies, the Uniontown teen told a Fayette County judge he wanted to withdraw his request. Lanko told Judge John F. Wagner Jr. on Tuesday that he wanted to go forward charged as an adult in the cases and that he understood the difference between the correctional treatment of juvenile and adult offenders.
If convicted as a juvenile offender, the state can keep Lanko in custody until he is 21, and his record will be sealed.
District Attorney Nancy D. Vernon said she offered Lanko a plea to both robbery cases – one of which started out as a criminal homicide case – that would see him incarcerated for one to two years total. Lanko already has been in prison about six months awaiting the resolution of the charges.
He was charged as an adult under state laws that allow teens accused of certain violent offenses no longer to be considered juvenile offenders. The burden shifts to a juvenile’s lawyer to convince the court that the juvenile should not be dealt with as an adult by proving that he or she is amenable to juvenile court treatment.
Vernon said Lanko has not formally accepted the plea, and until he does so, the case will be listed for trial.
In the first of the two cases, Lanko allegedly held a .22-caliber gun to a Uniontown man’s head after asking the man if he wanted to buy drugs last Nov. 8. Lanko allegedly robbed Kenneth Stimmel of $300 in that case, and police said he confessed to the robbery.
Almost two months later, on Dec. 29, Lanko allegedly took part in a robbery at Lemon Wood Acres last December in which a man was shot and killed. State police allege that Lanko, David “Taboo” Sims and Charles “Cha Cha” Lendell went into an apartment at the housing project intent upon robbing its occupants. The robbery went awry when one of the occupants shot and killed Lendell.
Lanko and Sims were charged with the robbery and responsibility for Lendell’s death since authorities alleged the robbery was the catalyst for Lendell being shot. However, the homicide charge against Lanko was dropped when he agreed to testify against Sims.
In April, shortly after that charge was dropped, Judge Ralph C. Warman agreed to let Lanko out of prison on a recognizance bond. As part of the conditions of the bond, Lanko was ordered not to participate in other criminal activities.
However, in August, Lanko found himself back in prison after Judge Steve P. Leskinen revoked his bond because state police alleged the teen was part of a group who attacked and robbed an Ohio couple.
Assistant District Attorney Phyllis A. Jin, who handles the juvenile cases, asked the judge to revoke Lanko’s bond after he was identified as one of six who took part in the robbery.
The Ohio couple, Christopher Volpe and Lisa Auerbach, told police they got lost and accidentally headed into the Snyder Terrace section of the Bierer Wood Acres housing project around 3:30 a.m. July 28.
They were greeted by a group of teens who allegedly held open the doors of Volpe’s Lexus, beat him and robbed him of $100.
Lanko allegedly threatened the couple during the incident and is charged with criminal conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, recklessly endangering another person, theft and two counts each of aggravated and simple assaults.
Vernon said that alleged robbery is not covered under the one- to two-year deal she offered Lanko.