Gilbert teen sentenced in violent-attack cases

A 19-year-old Gilbert man associated with the outbreak of teen violence has been sentenced to prison for his role in two attacks in the town as well as a drug charge.

Noah Lee Pennington will serve three years in prison in connection with the two attacks and drug possession, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced Aug. 7.

Pennington entered into plea agreements in July that involved three separate incidents.

He was found guilty of two counts of aggravated assault, class three felonies, for using a deadly weapon to intimidate two young individuals in Gilbert in December 2022 when he was 17 years old; one count of aggravated robbery, a class three felony, for beating and robbing a 14-year-old boy along a canal in Gilbert in May 2023 about the time when he turned 18; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a class six undesignated offense, for having been found in possession of a bag with fentanyl pills in Mesa.

Upon release from the Arizona Department of Corrections, Pennington will have to adhere to two years of supervised probation.

“We are doing great work holding perpetrators of teen violence accountable for their actions,” Mitchell said in a release from the county attorney’s office. “Our message to the community is simple: these young adults are having to pay the price for their deliberate actions and know they cannot get away with it.”

Mitchell also commended Deputy County Attorney Andrew Faas for his work in this case and others related to teen violence in the East Valley.