Prosecutor Drops Bargain With Teens

Three South County teenagers who were set to plead guilty in last summer’s near-fatal stabbing of a 16-year-old are being forced now to stand trial after a prosecutor on Monday revoked his initial plea offer to the boys.

The teenagers--Steve Crader, 17, of Aliso Viejo; Kurtis Pinedo, 17, of Laguna Hills; and Joshua Riazi, 16, of Dana Point--said last week they were prepared to admit to being gang members and participating in the assault in exchange for lenient jail terms.

In the plea agreement, the prosecutor would have dropped the most serious charge against the boys, attempted murder. The three are being tried as adults.

But Deputy Dist. Atty. John Conley rescinded the agreement Monday before it could be officially accepted; he said he wanted to take the case to a jury instead. Conley hadn’t offered the same deal to two other suspects--Jesse Grist, 17, of Laguna Niguel and Josh Carlsen, 21, of Dana Point--because prosecutors believe they played a more active role in the attack.

There were some “initial discussions” about plea agreements, “but as of now there’s nothing on the table,” Conley said after the court session. He declined to elaborate.

Although not uncommon in Orange County’s more urban areas, the allegation of gang membership shook the sprawling communities where the boys live and sparked widespread debate. Sheriff’s deputies said the charges were warranted, even though the boys’ backgrounds challenge the stereotype of gang members.

But some residents believe officials overreacted.

“It’s upsetting,” said defense attorney Anthony Sessa, who represents Jesse Grist. “We have an overzealous prosecutor who seems determined to make a point.”

The boys’ parents agreed and expressed frustration that the case was spinning out of control.

“If these same boys were in court in [Los Angeles], we’d already be out of here,” said Ken Crader, 34, the father of Steve Crader. “It’s ridiculous.”

The Aug. 11 incident occurred in a gated community in Aliso Viejo, where a group of Aliso Niguel High School students were having a party. Sheriff’s officials said the suspects, well-known for the “Slick 50’s” name their group adopted and for their trademark cuffed pants and greased-back hair, cracked a beer bottle over another youth’s head and stabbed him three times.

The boys have insisted that their group of friends is not a gang and that another suspect, Josh Carlsen, was the only one with a knife that night.

A trial date was moved to May 24 when Judge Frank F. Fasel took himself out of the case Monday in a private announcement to the lawyers in his chambers. He was not specific in his reasons, other than to say he had a personal conflict with one of the parties, the attorneys said.

In another development, Conley asked that bail be revoked for Jesse Grist, who along with the others has been out of jail since November. The youth was involved in a fight at another party roughly two weeks ago. A judge will decide the bail issue today.

If convicted of all charges, the teens face 15 years to life in prison.