Utah judge turns table on teen robber despite plea deal

A Utah family is fighting what they say is too severe a prison term for their 16-year-old son, who was convicted on felony robbery charges earlier this month and given the maximum prison term despite being told a plea deal would soften his sentence.

Cooper Van Huizen was sentenced on May 7 to two consecutive 1- to 15-year prison terms for his role in an armed robbery in November.

Van Huizen, who had never before been convicted of a crime, entered a home in Roy, Utah, on Nov. 4 along with three other teens. The home’s two inhabitants were held at gunpoint while the teens gathered $10, a wallet, a cellphone and a bag of marijuana, according to KSL.

Van Huizen’s father, Marc Van Huizen, said there was no evidence suggesting his son had carried a weapon during the robbery. He said the prison term was far too severe: In addition to the length, Van Huizen ended up in the same prison facility that houses death-row inmates and gang members. He spends most of the day alone in a maximum security cell at the Utah State Prison.

“Twenty-three hours in a cell — that’s going to destroy him,” he said.

The teen’s parents are especially perplexed because of sentences handed down to two of the other men involved in the robbery. Both pleaded guilty to lesser charges: Second-degree felony counts of robbery instead of first-degree felony counts. A 17-year-old co-defendant was sentenced to 210 days in jail by Judge Ernie Jones, and a 19-year-old co-defendant was sentenced to 180 days by the same judge. But Jones felt a reduced sentence would be too “soft” for Van Huizen, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

“No, please, no, please,” the teen cried as he was handcuffed and led from the courtroom, according to the Tribune. Sobbing family members looked on.

“He’s 16 years old,” the father said. “Some 16-years-olds are more mature than others, but Cooper is really soft and tender emotionally. He’s just a nice, sweet young boy, always has been. He’s not this rough-and-tough wanna-be street-wise little kid.”

Now, the family is fighting the sentence. They say they weren’t provided solid legal advice by the defense attorney and were made to believe that if their son pleaded guilty, he would receive a 180-day sentence and be able to attend school during the day. Marc Van Huizen told KSL he never would have encouraged his son to take the plea deal if he had known what the outcome would be. He said he plans to appeal the sentence, but acknowledges his son did something “very bad.”

“The mistake that he made — the first ever he’s made in his life — was a big one,” he said.

Friends of the family have set up a Facebook page to support Van Huizen.

“This is my son and I love him with all my heart and I plea for all the help I can get to save my son’s life,” the teen’s father wrote in an open letter on the page.

Contact Stephanie Grimes at sgrimes@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @stephgrimes