Teenager Gilbert received 1 year of “enhanced” probation for setting fire to a barn

A 16-year-old Gilbert teenager who admitted to setting fire to a barn full of classmates on July 3 will not be held in custody after the juvenile court commissioner who oversaw the case handed down his sentence on November 4.

Instead, the boy will serve a year of “enhanced” probation plus other sanctions.

After more than an hour of testimony, Commissioner Keelan Bodow said the crimes were the most serious she had ever adjudicated in juvenile court. The girls had a few minutes to escape before the Morrison ranch barn was completely engulfed in flames. It quickly burned to the ground, causing $1 million in damage.

Earlier, Bodov heard statements from the victims of the barn fire, family and supporters of the minor, who explained why the boy should stay with his family for “rehabilitation”.

In October, the teenager pleaded guilty to arson, serious criminal damage and four counts of endangerment with imminent risk of death.

Bodow placed the teenager on one year of intensive juvenile probation instead of the recommended standard probation. This, she said, involves more supervision and communication between the teenager and the probation officer. Another sanction was limiting the teenager’s access to social networks.

If a teenager “earns” over time, probation supervision can be reduced, she said.

Bodow also accepted a recommendation from John Lewis, the father of one of the victims, and ordered the boy to complete 40 hours of mandatory community service with fire victims or burn victims’ organizations. The teenager was also ordered to fill out two work books and submit them to the court by the beginning of next year.

The commissioner also banned the teenager from contacting another boy who was charged with arson in juvenile court for setting fire to a barn, but he denied the charges. The court also banned the 16-year-old from speaking to half a dozen other Gilbert teenagers who were present at the fire.

If the boy violates any condition of his probation, he could face 120 days of deferred incarceration and 20 weeks of deferred use of the juvenile electronic monitoring system.

What happened in Gilbert’s barn that night?

Police, prosecutors and parents reported that a group of people wearing ski masks appeared at the barn and yelled obscenities at the girls inside. The boys threw one flare and then ran away. Ten minutes later, they returned, throwing a second, larger “mortar” into the barn, which started a fire and burned it and everything inside, according to police and court records.

The parents of the girls stated that the motive for the attack was revenge for the fact that some girls treated some boys with disdain. The incident was the most serious in a three-year series of attacks, threats and intimidation tactics at homes and shopping centers in the area, the parents said.

The Arizona Republic is not releasing the names of the arrested boys because they are being prosecuted as juveniles in Maricopa County Juvenile Court. A motion to transfer the case to adult court was unsuccessful.

A restitution hearing is set for January 24. A second teenager charged in the case will appear in court on December 6 for sentencing.

The parents of the girls in Gilbert’s burned barn advocated for increased sanctions

Kelly Lewis, one of the victim’s mothers, told The Arizona Republic that she would have preferred a harsher sentence for the teenager given the commissioner’s comments about the seriousness of the crime.

High school student Lauren Lewis was inside the shed when it caught fire. She testified on Nov. 4 that the boy’s actions affected her that night and months later.

Lauren called the barn “her dream place.” Before her, Lexi Jones and eight other teenagers had arrived at the Jones barn, where they had a Bible study session and planned to end the evening with a movie.

The shed was “pitch dark” until Lauren saw a flash of red light from the “mortar” firework. She and Lexie Jones went outside to find a group of teenagers wearing “bandanas” and “ski masks” covering their faces and yelling at Lexie, telling her to “close her legs” and other words she won’t repeat in court.

She said she was in a “state of panic” when a second mortar was thrown into the barn a few minutes later, engulfing it in flames. She described how quickly the fire was growing and how she and others could have lost their lives if they had moved more slowly.

“You are very lucky,” she told the teenager in court.

After the fire, she says, she struggles with panic attacks, doesn’t want to get out of bed and struggles to keep up with her grades.

“I’ll never be the person I was,” Lauren said. She asked Bodow not to give the teenager a “slap on the wrist.”

Lexi Jones provided similar testimony.

When the group of boys first arrived at the barn, Lexi said she begged them to leave her alone and leave her house.

During part of her statement, she fought back tears as she recalled the night. She said she fears for her life and doesn’t know what to do while the barn is on fire.

She said she lost friends after the fire because she wanted the teenager to be prosecuted and face “consequences” for the offences.

“His act was not small,” and it will cause lasting damage, she testified.

The barn fire case echoes Gilbert Guns’ treatment of teenage violence.

The two boys charged in juvenile court remain the only defendants during the arson on July 3.

It follows a pattern of teenage violence in Gilbert that has led many residents to criticize how seriously police and prosecutors responded to the barn fire, and before that, attacks of “Gilbert the Huns”. The Huns’ handling of the cases sparked community protests and calls for the resignation of Gilbert Police Chief Michael Zelberg.

The thugs have recorded lightning attacks on teenagers in parks and garages, near fast food restaurants and at house parties that have gone unmonitored by police for more than a year. A December investigation by The Arizona Republic first linked thugs to the fatal beating of 16-year-old Preston Lord at a Queen Creek Halloween party in 2023.

Gilbert was the epicenter of the attacks, which also occurred in Mesa, Chandler and Pinal counties. Authorities did not begin arresting victims of the Goon attacks until after The Republic’s report. Only then did they reopen closed cases and start new investigations.

Similarly, the residents of the Morrison Ranch were fighting their own group of teenagers. Many criticized the Gilbert Police Department’s response to the boys’ behavior as inadequate.

The day after The Republic published a report about the fire and parents’ concerns, Gilbert officials said police had made 14 arrests, 37 citations, 57 written warnings and 70 traffic stops related to teenage behavior at Morrison Ranch.

Solberg repeated that statistic at a city council meeting that day. He continued to mislead the public and city officials by falsely claiming that the news was riddled with “numerous inaccuracies.” Among them is the omission of information that reporters requested several days before the article appeared, but was never provided before publication.

The Republic has yet to receive any police reports confirming any of the 14 arrests two months after the request.

The teenager’s family and friends come in droves to plead for rehabilitation, not punishment

In juvenile court on Nov. 4, the accused teenager’s grandfather, along with a family member and a family friend, argued that the boy was in a good home where he could be rehabilitated.

The teenager’s grandfather told The Republic it was “upsetting to hear” Bodow’s comment about the seriousness of the crime. He said he believes his grandson understands the seriousness of the crimes and will be there to make sure the teenager complies with the terms of his probation. .

The Republic is not releasing the name of the minor’s grandfather to protect the identity of the 16-year-old.

A woman who lived with the teenager’s family for two years told the court about her “unique perspective”.

She said she came from a home with an alcoholic father and a mother who committed suicide, and the teenager’s family took her in. She said being in their home was a “breath of fresh air” and that they were loving but cruel when necessary.

She said parents “don’t blindly ignore” a teenager’s actions.

The teenager’s parents also spoke at the hearing and said their son never intended to harm or kill anyone with his actions and they were being careless.

The mother said she was “truly sorry” for all the Jones family had lost in the fire. She reiterated that her son has taken responsibility for the offenses and understands their “gravity”.

The father said he hopes it will be a “springboard for real positive change in (his son’s) life and in the community.”

The teenager refused to appear in court.

His barrister, Adam Ashby, told the court of people who gave evidence who wrote characterizing letters and showed her the teenager had a support system that could help him rehabilitate.

Bodow made her decision and told the juvenile court that it was not about “punishment” but about rehabilitation.

Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek, who can be reached at [email protected] or 480-271-0646. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @maritzacdom.