By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

Shelby County District Court Judge Dan Reeves will decide if he will grant an Alabaster robbery suspect youthful offender status during a Feb. 20 hearing  after the suspect requested youthful status in December 2013.

Nineteen-year-old Alabaster resident Justin Edward Catlin, who is facing felony robbery, assault and burglary charges, requested youthful offender status on Dec. 19, according to court documents.

The Alabaster Police Department arrested Catlin on Nov. 20, 2013, and charged him with felony counts of first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary and second-degree assault.

The arrest came a few days after Catlin allegedly assaulted a homeowner on Bare Tree Drive during a Nov. 16 robbery at about 1:05 p.m., said Alabaster Police Chief Curtis Rigney. According to police incident reports and Catlin’s arrest warrant, Catlin allegedly entered the victim’s residence armed with a pistol and stole a wallet containing about $325 and a cell phone from the victim.

After investigating the incident, Alabaster police located Catlin in Birmingham and arrested him on Nov. 20, Rigney said.

Rigney previously said the victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the incident, and was treated and released from Shelby Baptist Medical Center.

According to Alabama law, first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary both are Class A felonies. Second-degree assault is a Class C felony. If convicted of the crimes, Catlin could face a minimum of 21 years in prison.

If Catlin is awarded youthful offender status, he will waive his right to a trial by jury, and could face a less severe range of punishments than he would face if tried as an adult.