4 Whitman Athletes Charged in Robbery

Four Whitman High School athletes have been charged with felony assault and armed robbery in connection with a March 30 robbery at a business in downtown Bethesda. A fifth classmate, who worked at the store, also has been charged.

The five students, all 17-year-old juniors, were charged as adults because of the serious nature of the charges, police said. "Because there was an innocent victim who was robbed at gunpoint, at this time we don't believe this was a prank," Montgomery County State's Attorney Douglas F. Gansler said.

Four of the students -- Pat Lazear, a 2005 All-Met football player, Justin Schweiger, Tommy Ashley and Alex Krouskas -- were charged with armed robbery, first-degree assault, theft of less than $500 and conspiracy to commit each of those crimes. The charges carry a maximum punishment of 93 years in prison and a $1,000 fine. Robert Warren was charged with two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of armed robbery, using a handgun to commit a crime and theft of less than $500. Those charges carry a maximum punishment of 161 1/2 years in prison and a fine of $500.

The robbery occurred around 9 p.m. on March 30 at the Smoothie King on Wisconsin Avenue. Krouskas worked at the shop and was one of two employees on duty when Warren entered carrying a gun, police said. Warren left the shop with $463 and got into a car driven by Lazear, police said. Police said Ashley, Schweiger and Warren's girlfriend also were in the vehicle.

Warren was arrested on April 27 and was released April 28 on $15,000 bond. The other four students were arrested at school last Thursday, according to court documents. Krouskas was released on $100,000 bond. Lazear, Ashley and Schweiger were released on Friday after posting $15,000 bond.

Whitman Principal Alan Goodwin said yesterday that the five students were being allowed to attend class and finish the school year because the alleged incident took place outside of school and because none of the five had been involved in any disciplinary problems.

"I'm real disappointed that the charges are so serious and I hope the boys learn from this at an early age, that they don't make bigger mistakes when they're older," Goodwin said after reading a statement from police outlining the charges. "And I hope the other students in the community see that they should avoid making similar decisions that will adversely affect them."

Lazear, Schweiger, Ashley and Warren are members of the football and wresting teams at Whitman. A highly touted linebacker and fullback, Lazear attended a luncheon in Washington yesterday afternoon honoring this school year's All-Met athletes selected by The Washington Post. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Lazear has 20 college football scholarship offers, including some from the country's top football teams.

Reached by telephone yesterday evening, Lazear's father, Harry, an assistant football coach at Whitman, said: "There's nothing we can say to help us. It's something that's going to have to go through the courts." Lazear added that the gun "involved was not a real gun." He declined further comment.

It could not be determined what impact the arrest would have on Lazear's scholarship prospects. An assistant coach at one school that has offered a scholarship to Lazear said that some colleges might be hesitant to recruit him, especially in light of the controversy this spring surrounding the Duke men's lacrosse team in which three players -- including one from the Landon School just down the street from Whitman -- have been charged with raping an exotic dancer at a team party.

"Particularly in light of recent events, colleges are going to be very critical of issues of character," said the assistant coach, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

According to a statement of charges filed in District Court by Montgomery County police, Warren's girlfriend said that the five students "planned the robbery while at school earlier the day of the robbery."