Boys' plea deal shelves 12-year prison terms.

Byline: Bill Bishop The Register-Guard

Three seemingly ordinary Eugene teenagers face 12-year prison terms if they so much as break school rules in the next five years under a plea deal they made Friday on charges of robbing four other youths in a spree that defense lawyers linked to immature fantasies fueled by violent rap lyrics and crime-theme video games.

Instead of prison, the trio, ages 17 and 16, were sentenced to 60 days in jail and were given other probation terms aimed at keeping them on a short leash.

"This is where you grow up, learn how to be responsible for your behavior," Lane County Circuit Judge Cynthia Carlson told them. "It's not a game anymore. It's very, very serious. You could wind up going to prison over not obeying school rules."

The spree began Nov. 27 when 16-year-old James Gilhousen-Velez set up an acquaintance for a robbery by asking him to meet near 18th Avenue and Mill Street. As the two sat in the victim's car, 17-year-old Andrew William Jones approached the driver side door, wearing a full ski mask and pointing a starter pistol in the victim's face, Lane County District Attorney Debra Vogt said.

Jones took the victim's wallet and marijuana. Co-defendant Christian Patrick Breeden, 17, served as getaway driver for Jones, Vogt said. The victim did not realize Gilhousen-Velez was involved, she said.

Although the starter pistol fires blanks, it looks like a real weapon, Vogt said.

"If that had been a real gun, they would be going to prison for a long time," she said in court.

The Register-Guard's policy is to publish the names of juvenile offenders who are convicted of serious felony crimes ordinarily covered by mandatory Measure 11 sentences. In this case, the judge invoked laws that allow exceptions to Measure 11 in rare circumstances for young first-offenders. Each of the boys pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree robbery, each carrying a mandatory 70-month prison term.

The second incident began Dec. 19 when Jones and Gilhousen-Velez were playing the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The game puts players in the role of a criminal sought by police.

"After they play it for several hours, they decide they're going to go out and be criminals," Vogt told the judge.

The pair phoned Breeden to join them and the trio went to Churchill High School, where they found two boys skateboarding while a third recorded their tricks with a video camera, Vogt said.

Breeden fired the starter pistol in the air, terrifying the victims, Vogt said. The two skateboarders were forced up against a wall while the third boy fled but surrendered when pursued by Gilhousen-Velez, who is much larger than the victim, Vogt said.

The robbers did not wear masks and were not known by the victims, Vogt said.

Police got a lead when a young sheriff's reserve officer heard them bragging about their crimes at a party, Vogt said.

Defense lawyer John Kolego, who represented Breeden, said the boy is a good student from a good family.

"It has to do with the popular culture that is being disseminated with the rap music and these games," Kolego told the judge. "It's a mind-set kids get into."

Breeden offered no comment to the judge, but admitted under Carlson's questioning that the robberies "horrified" the victims.

Defense lawyer Dan Koenig, representing Gilhousen-Velez, said the robberies were "some of the stupidest crimes Lane County has seen." He noted the boys bragged publicly and didn't gain anything.

Gilhousen-Velez apologized in court.

Defense lawyer John Halpern described Jones as "a very good guy" from a loving family. The crimes were "the product of abysmally immature judgment," he said.

"I'm really very sorry," Jones told the judge. "I can't imagine what we put the victims through."

Carlson explained that it's up to the boys to decide whether they will become good citizens or begin ruined lives punctuated by harsh prison terms.

Under their sentences, the boys may have no contact whatsoever with each other or with the victims during their five years on probation. While each already has served about 20 days in jail, each must serve a total of 60 days - with the sheriff deciding where and when they serve it.

Additionally, they must pay $500 to each of the four victims, abstain from intoxicants, complete high school, and follow all school rules.

"If they violate one of these conditions, they're looking at 12 years in prison," Vogt said.