A Juneau man pleaded guilty in Juneau Superior Court to assaulting and stealing money from a cab driver in early January.
Joshua Raymond Jones, 19, pleaded to two misdemeanors — fourth-degree assault and third-degree theft — on Wednesday.
Judge Philip Pallenberg accepted a plea deal reached with prosecutors that calls for a composite jail sentence of 16 months with 12 suspended, meaning there’s four months to serve.
The plea deal also requires Jones to pay more than $6,000 in restitution, write a letter of apology to the cab driver, contact the Juneau Alcohol Safety Action Program for screening and to be on probation for two years after his release from prison. He is also prohibited from contacting any cab companies.
District Attorney David Brower said in court a cab driver picked Jones up in the downtown area early in the morning on Jan. 6 and drove him behind the Breeze In location in Mendenhall Valley.
Brower said Jones, who had no money on him, asked the 46-year-old driver for Glacier Taxi & Tours LCC, for change for $100 as he prepared to exit the cab.
While the driver handed back change in exchange for a piece of paper Jones was holding, Jones punched him in the face and ran off with somewhere between $100 and $150, Brower said.
“I think the elements of robbery are there,” Brower told the judge. “I think in this case, given Mr. Jones’ age, (the cab driver) who has agreed with this resolution and I think it’s a good resolution.”
An earlier Juneau Police Department release said the driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital. Brower said the hospital bill totaled about $5,000, which Jones would have to pay back in restitution, plus about $700 for the driver’s broken glasses and $150 for the money he admittedly stole.
JPD arrested Jones on Jan. 6, according to their press release and court records. He was originally charged with one count of second-degree robbery, a felony, and one count of fourth-degree assault, a misdemeanor. The plea deal reduced the felony robbery charge to a misdemeanor theft charge.
Jones’ attorney Assistant Public Defender Grace Lee told Pallenberg her client was apologetic and wanted to make things right. She said she thought the plea agreement focused on the sentencing goals of rehabilitation and deterrence. He has no prior criminal record, she said, except a misdemeanor assault conviction in a city case while he was in custody for this matter.
Pallenberg told Jones he was getting a break because of his age.
“I’m to some extent deferring to the lawyers who have more information than I do, and sometimes courts have to do that,” Pallenberg said, adding. “The message I want you to take with you is that you only get a deal like this once. So if something happens like this again, ever, I expect they’ll throw the book at you. I sure will.”
Jones was sentenced in Juneau District Court earlier this month for punching a friend in the face while playing Call of Duty. He received 60 days to serve in that case, plus two years probation.
• Contact reporter Emily Russo Miller at 523-2263 or at emily.miller@juneauempire.com.
Comments (8)
Add commentamerica
that boy learned his lesson, now he's where he belongs. boy you messed with the law and now the law messed with you. freedom isn't free.
Not enough
If we want taxis running 24/7, this sentence was not enough deterrent. A year would have been better.
The criminals in Juneau need to understand that if you assault a taxi driver, you will spend serious time in jail.
It's obvious that this criminal also has an anger management problem, and we know that our "corrections" system no longer provides the kind of therapy he needs to truly change his behavior.
I'm not looking forward to seeing him on the street when he gets out.
Free Ride
Joshua seems to like free rides. He took one to the Breeze In and he got one to Lemon Creek. I hope he learned a lesson, but I doubt it. Apologies like this are basically part of the plea deal and are about as insincere as they come. I would not be holding my breath waiting for that restitution money. I hope that he pays for his next ride and I hope it is for a one-way ticket out of Juneau. Bash and Dash is a coward's game and a good sign of trouble to come.
I don't know why
Judge Pallenburg would say something like “The message I want you to take with you is that you only get a deal like this once. So if something happens like this again, ever, I expect they’ll throw the book at you. I sure will.”
Surely, the Judge knows that this is not true. Almost all criminal cases adjudicated in Juneau are settled with some sort of “Plea” and the terms are generally very lenient.
If Mr. Jones reoffends, the odds are very good that he will again get a “Plea” deal and that again, the terms will be quite lenient.
who was the real robber?!
The hospital bill for minor injuries was about $5000.00 - I think that he should have some company in jail for that robbery!?
Lesson obviously not learned
He walked out on a restaurant tab this morning. 3 strike rule? Back in jail, no plea agreement. Serve the rest if his original sentence. This guy needs to be removed from the community.
Lesson obviously not learned
He walked out on a restaurant tab this morning. 3 strike rule? Back in jail, no plea agreement. Serve the rest if his original sentence. This guy needs to be removed from the community.
Lesson obviously not learned
He walked out on a restaurant tab this morning. 3 strike rule? Back in jail, no plea agreement. Serve the rest if his original sentence. This guy needs to be removed from the community.