Judge rules North Huntingdon robbery suspect to be prosecuted as an adult

A North Huntingdon man charged in late 2020 with the armed robbery of a man he paid $40 to drive him to Mt. Pleasant will be prosecuted as an adult, a Westmoreland County judge ruled.

Elijah Ben Chaabane was less than two months shy of his 18th birthday when he was charged in connection with the Dec. 19, 2020 incident in which he and two others were accused of stealing money, clothing and shoes and from the driver and three friends that accompanied him on the trip, police said.

Chaabane, now 19, was charged as an adult with 11 offenses, including four felony counts of robbery, and has been in jail in lieu of a $100,000 bond since his arrest. Chaabane asked that case be transferred to juvenile court, where if convicted he cannot be detained beyond his 21st birthday.

Prosecutors argued during a hearing this spring that Chaabane cannot properly be rehabilitated in the juvenile justice system.

Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears in a 10-page ruling that cited Chaabane’s lengthy juvenile court record, a documented drug addiction and the violent nature of the alleged new charges ruled that adult court was the proper venue for the robbery case.

“A transfer would result in a lack of accountability and jeopardize the public safety,” Mears wrote.

According to court records, police said Chaabane contacted a jitney driver through social media and paid him for the ride to Mt. Pleasant. Three of the driver’s friends accompanied them on the trip. When the group arrived in Mt. Pleasant, Chaabane briefly went into a mobile home and returned with two friends, both juveniles, and a gun.

Police said Chaabane at gunpoint demanded the group give him money, clothing and their shoes. One of the alleged victims was in his underwear when he spoke with investigators, according to court records.

Two other teens were charged along with Chaabane. Jake Franklin, 19, of Mt. Pleasant is in jail awaiting similar charges. The judge earlier this year rejected his bid to transfer the case to juvenile court, while another teen was prosecuted as a minor.

Franklin’s trial is tentatively set for trial in September, while Chaabane’s case is currently not scheduled.