128 Felonies: <8 Years In Jail

Drudge links this incredible story about Andrew Riley, of Nelsonville, Ohio, charged with 128 felonies, including "burglary, theft, vandalism and witness intimidation."  A county prosecutor reports Riley gave a severe beating to one of the witnesses who turned him in."  And yet this (alleged) violent serial criminal, even if convicted on all counts, won't be serving any more than 8 years behind bars, thanks to one mitigating factor.  He's 13.

"...We either get him rehabilitated now in the juvenile system or we will be dealing with him for the rest of his life."

Riley is in a juvenile detention center; a pretrial hearing is scheduled for later this month.

Barely a teen, Riley is too young to be tried in an adult court. Even if convicted on all counts, he still likely would be freed from juvenile prison no later than when he turns 21, prosecutors said.

Teen or no teen, Riley's felony count could set a county record.

Even in a much larger city, the number of charges against Riley would be unusual.

Triple-digit felony counts "would be very high for Franklin County in my 14 years here," said Dennis Hogan, chief counsel for the Franklin County prosecutor’s juvenile division.

Reached at home, Hogan remembered some vandals charged with 50 to 60 counts as the highest he’s dealt with in Franklin County.

Riley's clearly attentive parents were dumbstruck by the news, suggesting they'd been under the impression that their little angel was committing only sporadic crimes.

His family did not deny he has been in trouble, but they said he could not commit so many crimes.

"Honestly, you know, we are baffled by all the charges," said stepfather James Blake. "We suspected a few could come out of this, but nothing like what's been going over."

According to the Ohio Bar Association, it's true that a criminal can't be tried as an adult unless he or she was at least 14 at the time the crimes were committed.  But the people do appear to have another remedy in extreme cases.

[I]n certain circumstances, the court may impose a “serious youthful offender” (SYO) sentence in which a child is given a traditional juvenile sentence as well as an “adult” sentence that is “stayed” or delayed.  The child may not have to serve the adult portion of the sentence at all if he or she successfully completes the juvenile portion of the sentence.

If convicted of even a small percentage of the charges against him, it seems like a no-brainer that Riley should qualify as a "serious youthful offender."