18-year-old gets 6 month in jail for robbing Tumwater Subway

One of three people suspected of robbing a Tumwater Subway restaurant in December was sentenced to six months in jail Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery.

Isaiah Patterson, 18, had initially been charged with first-degree robbery, but pleaded guilty before Thurston County Superior Court Judge Erik Price as part of a plea deal. Patterson had no criminal history before his arrest.

Patterson’s attorney, Michael Stewart, said that Patterson and his co-defendants — Mychell Haley, 19 and Naimyah Warner-Tannis, 19 — had all been South Puget Sound Community College students at the time of the robbery. Haley and Warner-Tannis are scheduled to stand trial June 26.

According to court documents, two men, later identified as Haley and Patterson, entered the Subway at 5595 Capitol Blvd. SE just after 2 a.m. Dec. 15. Both men were wearing hoodies, and one was wearing sunglasses.

One man ordered a sandwich, but when it came time to pay, he took out a gun — later determined to be a fake gun — and ordered the employee to hand him the money from the cash register. The employee complied, and the robbers fled with an undisclosed amount of money.

A police officer saw the vehicle leaving the area and stopped the car. Patterson and Haley were in the vehicle and matched the descriptions of the men in the restaurant. Warner-Tannis was driving, according to court documents.

Patterson had only recently moved to Tumwater from California to play on the South Puget Sound Community College basketball team.

“I just want to apologize to the victim, my coaches, my teammates for disappointing them,” Patterson said.

Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Andrew Toynbee said he was comfortable with the reduced charge because of Patterson’s lack of criminal history and his honesty.

“He was extremely honest, I think he was 100 percent honest,” Toynbee said. “And that gave me the confidence to move forward with a reduced plea.”

“I feel strongly that this will not be repeated,” he added.

The six-month sentence, which falls in the middle of the standard sentencing range, was agreed upon by both attorneys. Price accepted the recommendation.

He said that Patterson’s age and lack of criminal history were surprising for someone being convicted of a strike offense. But he said he’s optimistic that Patterson learned his lesson and that he won’t have to appear before a judge again.

This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 4:30 PM with the headline "18-year-old gets 6 month in jail for robbing Tumwater Subway."