Teens allegedly held bus passengers at gunpoint, rise in youth violence
By Madison Perales
Click here for updates on this story
OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — Investigators are looking into a robbery on an Omaha bus. The incident involved two 15-year-olds and one 17-year-old. The oldest suspect was on probation.
Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said youth crimes are higher than he’s ever seen them before.
He said the crimes are getting more violent and more frequently involving guns.
Seventeen-year-old Maurice Smith-Walker is now charged as an adult for allegedly holding two Metro Transit bus passengers at gunpoint Saturday.
“Juvenile court’s jurisdiction ends when a person reaches the age of maturity, which is 19,” Kleine said. “So, the closer people get to that age, the more difficult it becomes to send somebody to juvenile court, because the process itself takes time.”
He highlighted programs to rehabilitate youth at places like Boys Town, but the only place for what he calls violent young people are YRTCs.
“Not a whole lot of other options,” he said.
The judge gave Smith-Walker a no pre-trial release, a $250,000 bond, and no contact with the victims.
Kleine said that given the teen’s criminal history and being in and out of the Douglas County Youth Center.
“The judge probably decided that they’re too big a risk,” Kleine said.
Right now, DCYC is the only place Smith-Walker can go.
It’s still in operation, despite the new Douglas County Youth and Family Support Center sitting empty downtown.
It has been since 2024 because of capacity and financing issues.
KETV Investigates asked the county for an update. At the moment, DCYC has 68 youths.
The new building can hold 64 beds in total.
Those young people can’t move into the new space until those capacity numbers are down.
Smith-Walker is slated to go before a judge again in June.
Metro Transit said it does not comment on ongoing investigations.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.