Defendant in violent robbery of boy, 14, near railway station offered way to avoid prison

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A young man charged in the assault and robbery of a 14-year-old boy at a Staten Island Railway station has been offered a way to avoid prison.

Zion Roberts, who was 18 years old at the time of his arrest, pleaded guilty May 28 to second-degree robbery in connection with the Feb. 10 incident, court records show.