A teenager who stormed through a Redmond Jack in the Box parking lot naked May 29 and punched a man in the jaw could avoid criminal charges, Dan Donahoe, a spokesperson for the King County Prosecutor’s office, said Wednesday.
Prosecutors reviewed the case and have decided not to criminally charge the 5-foot-11, 265-pound teen who was subdued by Redmond Police officers with a taser before being arrested for assault and indecent exposure, Donahoe said. Instead prosecutors forwarded the case to the Juvenile Court Diversion Board, which will draw out the consequences the teen will face. If the teen agrees to the consequences and carries them out, he will avoid having a criminal record, according to the King County Web site.
Donahoe said the teen was referred to the diversion board because he did not have a criminal record. Diversion consequences include “restitution to the victim, community service, a fine, counseling, educational classes or other options,” the King County Web site said. If he does not comply to the diversion board agreement, then the case will be brought back to the prosecutor’s office and criminal charges will be filed, Donahoe said.
According to Redmond Police spokesperson Jim Bove, the teen suspect walked through the parking lot of the Jack in the Box, at 16280 NE 87th St., naked and mumbling incoherently around 7:30 p.m. He opened up the back door of a car pulling into a parking stall.
The teen then ripped a pair of sunglasses off the head of the driver’s girlfriend, who was sitting in the passenger seat. Then as the driver got out of the car, the suspect ran over to him and punched him in the jaw, Bove said.
Moments later, a Redmond Police officer showed up and tried to arrest the man, who was sweaty and difficult to contain, according to Bove. Finally, after the suspect refused to cooperate, the officer was forced to use his taser to subdue the suspect, Bove said.
The suspect was transported to Evergreen Hospital Medical Center in Kirkland.
Bove said drugs or alcohol may be a possibility in this case, but he did not want to speculate.
What is Diversion
According to the King County Web site, youths may be eligible for an alternative to formal court processing known as Diversion, which is provided by the court’s “Partnership for Youth Justice” program. Once the youth is eligible for diversion, the youth meets with a Community Accountability Board (CAB), made up of community volunteers. The CAB and the youth enter into a written agreement about what the consequences will be, with the most common being community service or counseling.
