The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Teen gets 10 years for Willowick robberies
Michael Petro came from a broken home, his attorney Brian Taubman said.
“It’s important to see what led Michael down this path,” Taubman said of his 17-year-old client from Willowick.
Petro appeared before Lake County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard L. Collins Nov. 29 for a sentencing hearing for two counts of robbery and one count of felonious assault.
Petro’s parents separated at an early age and he and his five siblings were raised by their mother, Taubman said. She tried to do her best, but Petro “fell through the cracks.”
Petro’s father — Michael Petro Sr. — struggled with heroin addiction and would take his son at a young age to drug houses.
“He would witness his father, his role model, shooting up,” Taubman said. “These events traumatized him and still live with him today.”
Taubman said that Petro is being treated for depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder. Though he was on prescribed medication, Petro began to self-medicate, eventually with Percocet, Xanax, Oxycontin and cocaine.
“He fell deeper and deeper into a drug abyss,” Taubman said. “Off his own medications, self-prescribing with whatever he could get his hands on. Desperate to feed his habit, he made a stupid — that’s what it is, your honor — a stupid life changing decision for everyone involved and robbed two stores.”
The first robbery occurred Nov. 29, 2017, at the Tobacco Express, 30740 Lakeshore Blvd. During that robbery Petro pointed what was believed to be a real handgun at a cashier, who emptied the drawers and threw the cash at Petro.
The weapon turned out to be a BB gun, Assistant Lake County Prosecutor Eric Foisel said in an Oct. 25 change of plea hearing.
The second robbery, however, did involve a real handgun. That robbery occurred on New Year’s Day at the Subway restaurant, 30348 Lake Shore Blvd.
Petro again pointed the weapon at an employee and demanded cash from the drawer, but the employee was having trouble opening the register. Foisel said that an impatient Petro fired a gunshot at a cabinet behind the register.
The employee was still struggling to open the register and Petro hit him with the gun, causing it to fire a second time.
Willowick police previously told the News-Herald the employee was not struck by either bullet.
The case was bound over to the adult court in February. Lake County Juvenile Court Judge Karen Lawson found that Petro was not amenable to care or rehabilitation in the juvenile system. He was indicted on eight charges by the Lake County grand jury this summer.
Petro apologized to the court and the victims Nov. 29, exactly one year after the initial robbery.
“I plan on staying sober for the rest of my life,” he said. “If I can be sober I can do great things.”
He said he doesn’t want to be known as the kid who robbed innocent people. He said he wants to seek drug treatment, get his GED, learn a trade and become a mentor for young people so they don’t go down the same path he did.
The plea Petro entered in October included a firearm specification that carried a mandatory three-year prison sentence. Taubman argued that Petro should not see more prison time than that.
“An extended period of jail would not help the community here,” Taubman said to the judge. “As you are well aware, some people have the tendency to come out of prison a better criminal and not a reformed person.”
Petro Sr. said the crime that his son committed meets the criteria to sentence him as an adult, but he’s just a boy.
“A boy who had mental and addiction issues in his life,” he said. “A boy whose brain is not fully developed and he lacked a positive role model in his life to teach him and guide him through manhood.”
Foisel asked for a 13-year sentence for Petro. He said that Petro had a record in the juvenile court dating back to 2014.
“It’s not as if he hasn’t had a crack at trying being rehabilitated through the juvenile system,” he said. “Three years on probation through the juvenile system, trying to work with Michael, trying to work on those addiction issues that he has.”
Foisel showed security footage of both incidents during the hearing.
“The victims in both these cases were absolutely affected by this, there’s no question,” he said.
Collins ultimately sentenced Petro to 10 years in prison. Petro has 332 days jail credit. He will also be on post release control for three years and must pay $649 in restitution.