The arrest of a 12-year-old who police say attacked a woman with a screwdriver in a Central District robbery is being closely watched as an example of the challenges for the area’s justice system when it comes to juvenile crime.
The King County Prosecutor’s office says a judge found probable cause to hold the boy in a hearing Wednesday. The office expects to make a charging decision in the case Thursday.
“While is seems clear that this 12-year-old needs appropriate help, Robbery in the First Degree – a felony crime that involves a deadly weapon or a bodily injury – is not the kind of case that King County prosecutors send to diversion; cases like this one go before a judge with input from juvenile probation counselors,” a statement on the case to media reads…