Prosecutor targeting teen gun crime

With his staff on track to file twice as many juvenile cases in adult court this year compared with last year, King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg is searching for ways to stiffen penalties faced by violent teenagers.

Satterberg said recently that he and state Attorney General Rob McKenna have started discussing proposals and hope for changes out of the next legislative session. In the meantime, Satterberg said he has been regularly using his legal discretion to decide which teens should have their cases handled in adult court, where penalties can be more severe.

Of 19 cases so far this year that Satterberg transferred from juvenile to felony court — the same number as in all of last year — the majority have involved guns and gangs. Satterberg can automatically transfer cases between the two courts without a judge's permission if the youth involved are at least 16, are accused of a serious or violent offense — including murder, rape, robbery or arson — and have a significant criminal history.

"By the time a juvenile has picked up a gun and is firing shots at other people, they are no longer juveniles in either my view or in the eyes of the law," Satterberg said.

Satterberg, who serves on the state Sentencing Guidelines Commission, said he would like to see a change in sentences for all juveniles linked to gun crimes, not just the ones with a prior criminal history or who have used the gun to commit another crime, such as a robbery.

"Right now, a juvenile who is convicted of possessing a handgun, which is illegal, is eligible for no detention time at all," he said. "We're saying if we catch them with a gun and they haven't used it yet, it's no big deal."

Teens whose cases are transferred into adult court still, if convicted, serve their prison time with the state Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration.

Last year saw a dip in juvenile cases charged in King County adult felony court. The prosecutor's office took that step with 29 juvenile cases in 2007, 30 in 2006 and 26 in 2005, said Dan Donohoe, spokesman for the office.

The cases filed in King County Superior Court this year include:

• Terry Black, 17, charged with two counts of first-degree assault. He allegedly shot two men after an argument at a SeaTac apartment complex Feb. 17.

• Donovan Allen, 16, charged with first-degree robbery and felony harassment. He allegedly robbed a man at a Federal Way apartment on April 25. The victim was beaten up and slashed with a razor.

• Anthony Verzola, 17, charged with first-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm. Verzola is accused of firing at least five shots near Seattle's Alki Beach on May 1. A 19-year-old man was wounded in the back and is partially paralyzed.

"The message we send in juvenile court needs to be a consistent message that you have been caught with an illegal weapon and this is very, very serious," Satterberg said. "We're all disturbed by young people using firearms particularly, but I don't think our juvenile laws reflect how serious a crime that is."

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com