The father of a teen involved in a 2016 botched-robbery killing will serve up to 18 months in county prison for tampering with evidence of his son’s crime.

Stephen Strickland, 51, of Highland Drive, Perkasie, pleaded guilty Monday to misdemeanor counts of hindering apprehension and tampering with evidence, admitting he took steps to cover up the involvement of his son and the teen’s friends in the killing of Iziah Ramon Lewis.

Those steps included cleaning the guns used in the killing, instructing the teens to clean their hands, washing their clothes and further instructing them to lie to police.

During Monday’s hearing, Judge Rea B. Boylan recognized that Strickland’s actions harmed not just the immediate participants in the crimes, but also posed a danger to the community as they could have prevented police from solving the case.

Boylan sentenced Strickland to serve two consecutive sentences of three to six months and three to 12 months in the Bucks County Correctional Facility for a total of 6 to 18 months of incarceration, followed by an additional year on probation. He also must perform 200 hours of community service.

“Thanks to the diligent work of the Perkasie Borough Police Department and the Bucks County Detectives, this crime was solved despite attempts by the defendant to obstruct and impede the investigation into a robbery and killing,” said Deputy District Attorney Marc J. Furber. “The Court’s sentence sends a message that we will not tolerate those who break the law to help conceal a crime or prevent prosecution, no matter their motives.”

In the underlying case, Strickland’s son Noah Strickland and his friends Christopher Pavack, Carson Kimnach and Harrison Moss met with Lewis on Oct. 29, 2016, at Kulp Memorial Park, claiming they wanted to purchase marijuana.

Instead, the teens robbed the 19-year-old Perkasie man at gunpoint. During the encounter, the teens fired several shots and Lewis was struck once in the chest. Text messages showed the group had been planning for weeks to rob a drug dealer.

Moss, 18, who fired the shot that killed Lewis, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter last spring and was sentenced by Boylan in June to serve six to 12 years in state prison.

Noah Strickland, 18, Christopher Pavack, 18, and Carson Kimnach, 19, each were transferred to juvenile court where they admitted to their roles in the robbery. Boylan ordered each of the teens to remain in locked juvenile facilities until they are 21.

That case as well was investigated by Perkasie Borough Police Department and Bucks County Detectives and prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Marc Furber with Assistant District Attorney Megan K. Stricker.

Contact: Marc J. Furber, 215.348.6339, mjfurber@buckscounty.org