Youth found guilty in attack on student

The youth accused of attacking a crew member biking home from practice in September will face several years of probation after being found guilty last week of aggravated assault and attempted robbery. College sophomore Lauren Slawe said she testified that the 16-year-old boy grabbed her shirt and threw her off balance as she was returning to campus from Boathouse Row. Once on the ground, she said, the boy and several "accomplices" surrounded her. Slawe said the boy displayed a B.B. gun and demanded her bicycle. When she resisted, he began kicking her in the head. "I hope [my case] will work not only as a deterent for kids who might do the same thing, but also as [consolation] for students who may have had the same thing happen to them," Slawe said in an interview. Slawe added that she feels relieved that the court case, which was orginally scheduled to be tried in December, is finally over. "I'm glad it all worked out," she said. "There's a real sense of resolution." Slawe added that the boy had two previous convictions and noted that he will not be able to use his age for leniency in the future. "If he continues to [commit] these crimes thinking he's going to get out of it because he's a juvenile then he's sadly mistaken," she said. "This is the last time he'll be able to rely on his age for a [second] chance." In September, Wharton senior Collin McGranhan and College senior Kenneth Rowles answered Slawe's cries for help and chased the boy who fled the area. McGranahan chased him to a nearby housing development when another man claiming to be the boy's "big brother" appeared and threatened McGranahan with a gun. McGranahan, who testified in court as a witness, said he feels the judge in the case had the boy's "best interests at heart." "I guess justice was served," McGranahan said. "I'm glad they didn't lock him up. I think I would've felt a little guilty about that." Slawe said she thinks the court's decision is fair. "He's so young," Slawe said. "There's still time for him to turn his life around."