The last of nine black youths sentenced in the Long Beach hate-crime case was placed on probation Tuesday, even as she continued to proclaim her innocence.

Allyson Stone, 18, (a Jehovah's Witness) was convicted two weeks ago of felony assault with a hate-crime enhancement for joining in the mob beating of three white women on Halloween night. The eight other youths convicted in the case were sentenced Friday and Monday.

A freshman at Cal State Long Beach on a track-and-field athletic scholarship, Stone, who turned 18 while awaiting trial, told the court that "although the court has determined I was involved, I have my personal satisfaction of knowing I was not.

"I congregate with whites, Hispanics, blacks and other groups," Stone said, her voice cracking. "I have always judged my friends on their character and not their color."

Stone's lawyer, Darrell Goss, said he filed an appeal Tuesday.

Stone, who spent 99 days in juvenile hall before her release Tuesday, will carry into adulthood a strike under California's three-strikes sentencing law, which provides for life imprisonment for three-time serious offenders.

"A strike is a pretty heavy sanction," said Judge Gibson W. Lee. "It's not just a slap on the wrist."

Stone, like the other eight defendants sentenced over the last five days, also was ordered to perform 250 hours of community service and take part in an eight-week racial tolerance program offered by the Simon Wiesenthal Center. But Lee did not order house arrest for Stone, as he did for the other defendants. Both the defense and prosecution agreed that Stone had never been involved in a fight or suspended from school.

Goss said Stone was at the beating scene on Halloween night only because she was asked to help chaperon the other youths. He said she never got out of her car.

Goss said Stone, who is a Jehovah's Witness, is prohibited by her religion from trick-or-treating. Stone said her immediate goal is to return to school and that she is "determined to graduate on time," despite the three-month interruption for the case.

She said she plans to study fashion marketing and design and minor in communications. Goss said the judgment allows her to return to her dormitory on campus and continue her studies without having to make the 45-minute commute from her parents' home.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Andrea Bouas agreed that Stone should not get house arrest, but also urged her to take responsibility for her actions and to "recognize the value of contrition."

"She lost her moral compass that night," Bouas said. "And we know she has a moral compass because of her social history. She sits differently before the court."

At the emotional hearing, her father, Ervin Stone, a firefighter for more than 20 years, told the court that his daughter was a "caring, loving child" who would "go out of her way to help anyone."

"I can confirm for you that she'll never be in a courtroom like this again," the elder Stone said. "In our household, the most important thing is God, family and love of neighbors, and we stress that. I'd appreciate it a lot if we could take my daughter home."

Her former economics teacher at Rancho Cucamonga High School, Sherry Berwick, also spoke to the court.

"Deep in my heart, I know without a doubt, without a single doubt, that Allyson was not part of this," Berwick said. She described Stone as an A-/B+ student who "does not have hatred in her heart."

The case erupted on a street in Bixby Knolls, an area of Long Beach known for its lavish Halloween displays. Witnesses said a youth taunted the women, then others in the crowd began pelting them with fruit.

Someone yelled a racial slur and one black youth smashed a woman in the face with a skateboard. Two other black youths are scheduled to go on trial later for the beatings, which roiled the city with allegations of racial hatred and violence.

Nine defendants were convicted after a seven-week trial, and one was acquitted. Prosecutors said the victims, Laura Schneider, 19; Loren Hyman, 21; and Michelle Smith, 19 — were seriously injured; Hyman suffered multiple facial fractures and Schneider had a concussion.

The victims were not present in court Tuesday, but after an earlier sentencing hearing, they bitterly protested Lee's giving all the youths probation. In Juvenile Court, judges are asked to impose the least-restrictive penalties that would rehabilitate the minors in their charge.

 

 

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