'Veto St.' teen to be charged as adult

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - A 14-year-old boy linked to a home invasion in Grand Rapids appeared in court Thursday morning.

24 Hour News 8 is not identifying the teen since he is a minor.

Kent County Senior Assistant Juvenile Prosecutor Vicki Seidl told 24 Hour News 8 the teen will be charged as an adult but processed as a juvenile through the family court system.

"He could end up with adult convictions but be given what we call a blended sentence where he'd have something hanging over his head," Seidl said.

Seidl said a plea deal is in the works.

"We're working very hard with his attorneys to have a plea negotiation to come up with a resolution of this case that would the community safe but also take into account we have a 14-year-old in this case," Seidl said.

The 14-year-old waived his preliminary hearing on Thursday. He is facing charges of first-degree armed robbery and home invasion.

The judge ordered a psychological evaluation for the teen to help determine possible placement options.

The teen will return to family court for a pretrial hearing, but no date has been set yet.

Police said the home invasion and an attack on a young woman occurred after a party at a home at 646 Veto St. NW on June 4. The 19-year-old woman said four other men pistol-whipped her in the face and head, tied her hands behind her back, and blindfolded her with a bandana. She said she was raped by two suspects and forced to perform oral sex on two others.

Those four men --  James Hodges, 19, Dorian Jones and Rederick Melton, both 20, and Brandon Towns, 25 -- are each charged with three counts of sexual assault, along with robbery charges and home invasion. They were in court on Wednesday to determine whether they will face trial, and all were bound over on all the charges.