Teen gets 15 years as robbery spree ringleader

Pima County Superior Court Judge Howard Fell sentenced Steven Robles following a guilty plea to four counts of armed robbery.

Robles, 17, was arrested in October 2012 after Tucson police connected him and three others to at least eight armed robberies between July and September 2012.

Crime-spree victims described their terror as the robbers bound them with cords and tape and pointed guns at their heads, threatening to kill them.

“He actually chambered the gun to my face,” said Jamella Gory, a victim of one of the armed robberies, at an east-side beauty salon.

Gory said she has lived in fear since the incident, during which she said Robles and the others forced her to beg for her life.

“I’ll never be the same,” she said.

Thomas Kilpatrick said the robbery at his east-side smoke shop had a negative effect on the business.

“I also lost a really good employee,” Kilpatrick said.

Robles and the others took the employee’s wallet, including her identification.

Kilpatrick said the employee was fearful she might be the target of retribution for speaking to police. She eventually moved from Tucson, he said.

Deputy Pima County Attorney Lindsay St. John described Robles as the ringleader of the group.

“He was the one who was making this happen,” St. John said.

She described Robles as longtime criminal despite his youth, escalating from a series of juvenile offenses to the violent acts he was sentenced to prison for committing.

Robles’ attorney, Darlene Chavira-Chavez, said her client suffered from abuse as a child, has ADHD, combative disorder and has abused drugs.

“He was a little boy acting out — acting very, very badly,” Chavira-Chavez said.

She said Robles has begun to understand the effect his actions had on the victims and feels sorry for what he did.

Robles said little at the hearing, offering a brief apology.

“I know I did wrong,” he said.

During the spree, Robles and the others committed armed robberies at convenience stores, video game stores, a restaurant, pawn shop, smoke shop and beauty salon.

Robles’ brother, Orlando, 25, was sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison in 2013 for his role in the robberies.