Three 16-year-olds charged in connection with a Cobb County home invasion were granted bond during their first court appearance Friday, Channel 2 Action News reported.
The teenagers are being charged as adults for their alleged participation in an armed home invasion and robbery near Powder Springs last month. Sarah Austin, Thomas Poole and America “Lucy” Lesesne all face first-degree burglary-home invasion, armed robbery and aggravated assault charges. There each given $50,000 bonds on Friday.
RELATED: 3 teens face adult charges after armed home invasion in Cobb
On May 28, Austin and Lesesne were invited to go to Isabel Lay-Meireles’ home to play video games with her son and his friends, AJC.com previously reported. Lay-Meireles told Channel 2 she didn’t know the two girls were over, and she believes they were planted there to assist in the robbery.
While the teens were alone in the home, three people walked in while holding a gun, and they demanded an iPhone and a Gucci wallet from the group, AJC.com previously reported.
Poole is accused of being one of the three robbers, along with 18-year-old Verdeldric Ware and 16-year-old Jahvon Hammond, who is also charged as an adult.
The three suspects’ defense attorneys said Ware and Hammond, who both face the same charges, acted alone, but prosecutors said the two teen girls grabbed a bottle of wine during the escape and acted as getaway drivers.
“Lucy was essentially the getaway driver,” Cobb County Assistant District Attorney Katie Southmayd said in court. “She stayed. She waited at the edge of the street.”
Austin, Poole and Lesesne were all arrested near the scene, while Ware and Hammond were arrested days later.
MORE: 5th teen arrested in armed home invasion in Cobb
Credit: Cobb County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Cobb County Sheriff's Office
Poole’s attorney, Tracy Dorfman, said his family will offer their home as collateral to pay his bond.
As of Friday, all five teens remained at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center. Ware and Hammond have court appearances scheduled for later this month, Channel 2 reported.
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