Alaska Tribe Prepares to Banish 2 Teen-Age Robbers

Two Native American teen-agers who pleaded guilty to a brutal robbery were held aboard a fishing boat Saturday pending their move to remote islands for a year or more of banishment.

The two 17-year-old Tlingit boys, Adrian Guthrie and Simon Roberts, were banished by tribal elders for the beating and robbery of a pizza deliveryman. It is the first case of a state court referring a criminal case to a tribal panel for punishment.

On Saturday, the teen-agers were lounging in the sun. One listened to music on a Walkman as two tribal guards stood watch. The boys would not talk to reporters.

They probably would be taken to their islands during the night for security, said tribal elder Byron Skinna. They were to be moved to separate uninhabited islands in the sprawling Alexander Archipelago off the coast of southeastern Alaska, but tribal officials will not disclose their final destinations.

The teen-agers pleaded guilty in May to robbing Tim Whittlesey and beating him with a baseball bat while he was working as a pizza deliveryman in Everett, Wash. Whittlesey, 25, suffered permanent damage to his hearing and eyesight.

Twelve tribal elders deliberated for 3 1/2 hours Friday night before ordering the two banished for a year to 18 months.

A Washington state judge agreed to let the two face the tribal court rather than put the first-time offenders in prison. The youths still could get prison time later if the judge finds tribal punishment failed to rehabilitate them. The tribe will send reports to the court every three months.

Skinna said Whittlesey, who appeared at the hearing and has supported the experiment, will be given two parcels of Alaskan land and be paid an undisclosed amount of cash in restitution.

Skinna also said each boy would be given forks for digging up clams, axes and saws for cutting wood, and some food to carry them through the first few days. He said they would have sleeping bags and each will build a small shelter, which will be equipped with a wood stove for cooking and heat.

They will be checked on periodically, but there will be no way for them to contact the outside world.

The elders say the boys have been taught how to live off the land since they began to walk.