A judge has recommended boot camp for the youngest of five boys and men convicted of robbing an Alcova bar in November.

"It will give you an opportunity to prove yourself," Judge Thomas Sullins told Steven Liljedahl, who pleaded guilty in May to aggravated robbery, conspiracy and receiving and concealing stolen property.

The Wyoming Department of Corrections still has to approve Sullins' recommendation. If it is followed, Liljedahl, 16, will serve time at the Newcastle-based program for young offenders. The program runs seven to nine months, and offenders who complete it may have their sentences reduced.

The sentence was handed down Wednesday after the young defendant, handcuffed and wearing a blue jail uniform, briefly addressed the court.

"I don't really have much to say except I know what I did was wrong," Liljedahl told Sullins.

Liljedahl is one of six teenagers and men from Craig, Colo. accused of robbing the Sunset Grill at gunpoint on Nov. 29 while traveling to Montana in a stolen pickup. He was 15 at the time.

After the robbery, the truck led police on a high-speed chase, where officers were fired upon by some members of the group. Five of the defendants have been convicted. The sixth defendant, 30-year-old Paul Howell, is undergoing a mental evaluation.

Liljedahl was not accused of firing at officers, but in recommending a seven- to 10-year prison sentence, Natrona County District Attorney Michael Blonigen said Liljedahl was a willing participant in the armed robbery.

"The seriousness of the offense weighs heavily on our recommendation," he said.

Liljedahl's attorney, Jakob Norman, said his client didn't anticipate the chase and shooting that followed the robbery. During the chase, Liljedahl was curled up on the floor of the pickup, begging the driver, 20-year-old Michael Garren, to stop, Norman said. Garren in July received a 20- to 30-year prison sentence.

When the chase ended in a muddy Bar Nunn field, Liljedahl didn't try to escape and later gave police a full recounting of the crime, his lawyer said.

"He could have run, but he put his hands up and waited for police to arrive," Norman said.

Liljedahl's sentence closely mirrors the sentences received by two of his co-defendants, who were accused of acting as lookouts during the robbery. Earlier this month, another judge recommended boot camp for James Gore, 18, and Daniel Merwin, 16.

Before Liljedahl was sentenced, his mother testified about her own troubles with the law. Katherine Liljedahl said she was arrested on methamphetamine distribution charges about 18 months before her son participated in the robbery. At the time of her arrest, she had been using the drug three to four years.

Katherine Liljedahl said she tried to home-school her son, but "didn't do as much as I should have." Steven Liljedahl has a ninth-grade education, she said.

Her son, she testified, hadn't had major trouble before meeting Howell, who's been described by attorneys as the group's ringleader.

Proceedings against Howell have been put on hold pending a second mental evaluation, Blonigen said Wednesday.

Reach Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@casperstartribune.net.