SLO County teens accused of home invasion enter pleas in Arizona court
The San Luis Obispo County high schoolers accused of posing as delivery drivers and invading an Arizona home in pursuit of $66 million in cryptocurrency have pleaded not guilty to the slew of charges lobbed against them.
The pleas were entered by a judge on Tuesday morning during the arraignment hearings for Jackson Sullivan, 17 of San Luis Obispo and Skylar LaPaille, 18 of Morro Bay.
The Tribune is naming the two high school students because Scottsdale police previously said they are slated to be tried as adults.
Video of the hearings obtained by The Tribune showed that each lasted a little over a minute, with the judge entering pleas on each boy’s behalf and setting the court schedule for the case.
The boys were arrested and booked into an Arizona juvenile facility after they allegedly forced entry into a Scottsdale home on Jan. 31 and restrained two residents using duct tape before demanding one resident hand over his bitcoin, according to court documents.
The documents revealed that LaPaille apparently told police in an interview following his arrest that the boys had been extorted over the Signal app by two subjects known as “Red” and “8” into traveling from California to Arizona to commit the alleged crimes.
After their arrest, both Sullivan and LaPaille were released with ankle monitors on deposit bonds of $50,000, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Sullivan is charged with eight felonies while LaPaille faces seven felony charges, according to the Arizona court docket. Some of the charges include second degree burglary, kidnapping and aggravated assault.
Sullivan faces an additional felony charge of unlawful flight, after police said he drove away with LaPaille in the passenger seat once law enforcement arrived on scene.
Sullivan was enrolled at SLO High School, while LaPaille was enrolled at Pacific Beach High School, assistant superintendent Lisa Yamashita previously told The Tribune.
The next hearing in the case was scheduled for April 1.
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