By snoadmin
An 18-year-old former student-athlete was sentenced Tuesday morning to probation and 250 hours of community service. She was one of nine black teenagers convicted of felony assault for beating three white women in Bixby Knolls on Oct. 31.
Allyson Stone, who was a freshman attending Cal State Long Beach on a track scholarship in the fall semester, received a slightly lighter sentence in comparison to the other eight convicted people. Unlike the other eight sentenced teens, Stone will not be placed on 60 days house arrest and will complete a racial-sensitivity class instead of an anger-management class.
“It was clear the DA was lenient to her,” said Darrell Goss, Stone’s attorney. Goss cited Stone’s past to helping her case, which included a good school record, grades and not missing more than two to three days of school a year.
Goss also said while at Los Padrinos Juvenile Court in Downey, Stone was still attempting to finish her fall semester classwork. He said she wanted to return to school and hoped to graduate on time.
“She lost her moral compass that night,” Deputy District Attorney Andrea Bouas said, according to KCAL 9 News. Bouas also said that while some of the other defendants had histories of “acting out in school,” Stone had “an exemplary history and should be treated differently.”
According to Rick Gloady, CSULB media relations director, Stone is no longer enrolled at the university. Gloady did say, however, that the university will permit her to return.
Gloady said there is no policy on how the university deals with scholarship students who are convicted of felonies. The Student-Athlete Off-Campus Conduct Committee will advise Athletic Director Vic Cegles on the status of Stone’s scholarship and position on the track team. He said the committee only makes a recommendation and that Cegles will make the final decision.
“It is my understanding that this is a decision that [the] athletic department will have to deal with,” said Gloady, concerning her track scholarship.
However, neither the athletic department nor Toni Beron, assistant vice president for public affairs / publications, said they could comment on Stone’s scholarship or if there is a review process for convicted felons to return to the university.
According to KCAL 9 News, Stone said that although she was convicted, “I have my personal satisfaction of knowing I was not” involved in the beating.
Stone was 17 years old at the time of the attacks, a story with racial undertones that has received nationwide attention.
She attended Rancho Cucamonga High School and lived in Ontario, Calif., before attending CSULB. According to her MySpace profile, she was a fashion merchandising and design major and a communications minor.
Allison Baldwin contributed to this report.
