A Greensburg teen pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of a man last year in Hempfield.
Cayden Essway, 17, has been in jail since his arrest after being charged as an adult with counts related to what police said was a violent armed robbery on Mt. Pleasant Road on April 5, 2024. Police said Essway and another teen disarmed a man and Essway held a gun to the victim’s head and punched him about a dozen times before taking his clothes and shoes.
Essway pleaded guilty Friday to one felony count of armed robbery, conspiracy and illegal possession of a firearm. Prosecutors dismissed lesser counts of robbery, aggravated assault and theft.
Last year, a Westmoreland County judge denied Essway’s attempt to have his case transferred to juvenile court, where, if convicted, he could not be held in custody beyond his 21st birthday.
Essway, who turned 17 in February, faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced this year by Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger.
Essway will continue to be housed in a juvenile wing at the Lawrence County Prison until he is sentenced.