A juvenile who was charged as an adult for his involvement in a shooting at Silver Lake Park in Loveland on March 26 was sentenced Tuesday to six years in the Youthful Offender System.
Alvaro Barrientos, now 18, was 17 years old when he fired two shots across a street into a crowd of people at Silver Lake Park at 711 Madrone Drive. The bullets struck two people in the crowd, injuring them.
Barrientos pleaded guilty in December to first-degree assault with a deadly weapon for the crime. He was sentenced by Judge Carol Brinegar to a suspended sentence of six years in the Youthful Offender System with credit for 298 days of time served in lieu of 12 years in the Department of Corrections.
Another juvenile was also involved in the shooting. His case has been sealed.
Bryan Sanchez-Pineda, who was 18 at the time, admitted to driving Barrientos and the other juvenile to Silver Lake Park. He pleaded guilty on May 9 to tampering with physical evidence and was sentenced to two years probation and 200 hours of community service.
The Youthful Offender System is a medium security prison in Pueblo for offenders who were charged before their 21st birthday for crimes they committed between the ages of 14 and 19 and were tried as adults. Inmates have the opportunity to receive an education and can obtain an accreditation to be a barber, which Barrientos’ lawyers said he expressed an interest in.
Barrientos was accompanied in court by his attorneys and his family, who listened to the proceedings through a translator.
Jayme Muehlenkamp, Barrientos’ attorney, advocated for him to be sentenced to the Youthful Offender System, saying that he had acted immaturely during the shooting but was motivated to get on the right track.
“He’s a kid who had to make his own way in the world without a lot of guidance and that led him to make a very poor decision,” she said.
She said he has a daughter who is about to turn 1 year old and was especially concerned about being able to be a part of her life and to be able to provide for her.
Deputy District Attorney Michael Deschenes said that the prosecution would agree to the sentence but stressed that Barrientos would need to learn to be more responsible. Barrientos was written up several times at Platte Valley Youth Services, where he was originally sent, and transferred to Larimer County Jail.
“A lot of the reform available to Mr. Barrientos through YOS comes wedded with accountability,” he said.
Barrientos spoke briefly before the court, saying that he was sorry to the victims and their families for the pain he had caused them. He asked the judge to allow him to go to YOS so that he could better himself.
Brinegar agreed to sentence him to Youthful Offender Services but warned him that if he messes up, she will give him the full 12-year prison sentence.
“It’s up to you,” she told Barrientos. “Good luck.”
