Daily Record: Parsippany Teen Sentenced As Adult for Two Armed Robberies

A 17-year-old Parsippany teenager faces up to 10 years in prison for two armed robberies committed early last year, the Daily Record reports.

On Friday, a judge sentenced Cephas Bacon as an adult for incidents at a service station and a convenience store on Route 46.

Bacon turns 18 later this month.

Attorney Damon McDougall defended the youth and asked for leniency, citing Bacon's age and the fact that he was desperately looking for money to feed his drug addiction. Bacon's father argued that his son was under the influence of an older crowd.

Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Napurano countered that victims at a local Shell station and a Quik Mart were impacted negatively by the robberies. He added that since the January 2010 arrest, Bacon has been arrested twice for disorderly conduct and once for trespass.

Bacon could have received a sentence as high as 40 years in prison. Due to an agreement with the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, he was sentenced to 10 years on each of two counts of armed robbery, but the sentences will be served concurrently. He will have to serve 8 and 1/2 years before parole eligibility.

"We moved to handle this juvenile matter in adult court, due to our belief that if you are old enough to rob someone in this way, you are old enough to face the consequences, as you are a threat to the community," Morris County Prosecutor Robert A. Bianchi said in a statement sent to Patch. "This defendant will now serve at least 8 1/2 years in state prison before he can even be considered for parole."

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