15-year-old charged as adult

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. -- A 15-year-old accused in the near-fatal shooting of an elderly man during a home-invasion robbery has been charged as an adult, meaning he could face a maximum prison sentence of 120 years if convicted.\nLeRoy Warren was charged as an adult in LaPorte Circuit Court with attempted murder, armed robbery and burglary.\nOn Friday, Judge Robert Gilmore authorized the filing of adult charges. The decision overturned a June 27 ruling by a magistrate to keep the case in juvenile court, where a conviction would result in a far lighter sentence.\nFriday's ruling won support from 77-year-old Frank Schiavone, who nearly died when he was shot in the chest at his Michigan City home in February.\n"I was very happy to hear it because I was sad when they said he was going to be tried as a juvenile," Schiavone said.\nProsecutors say Warren, who just turned 15, entered the home by breaking out a window.\nSchiavone and his wife, Dolly, were awakened by the noise and held on the floor at gunpoint as the boy, who once lived next door, rummaged through their belongings, prosecutors say.\nWhile trying to keep an eye on the couple, the boy noticed the man pointing a firearm at him, according to court records. The boy then shot Schiavone and fled with an undisclosed amount of jewelry and cash, court documents say.\nTracking dogs later led police to a nearby mobile home park where the boy was taken into custody.\nSchiavone, who nearly died, said the only lingering effect of the shooting is a bit of fluid remaining in his lungs.\nWarren was ordered to remain in the secure wing of the LaPorte County Juvenile Detention Center on $5,000 cash bond pending trial.