PROVO SEmD Two alleged Provo gang members were sentenced to prison Wednesday for their roles in a gang fight in May.

Lonny High, 19, and Saul Cristobal, 22, were each sentenced to zero to five years in prison for their no contest pleas to simple assault, while Cristobal was also sentenced to an extra year for attempted riot. High was originally sentenced to jail and probation in the case, but was sent to prison on a probation violation.

High and Cristobal were among several reported gang members who were arrested for the May 20 fight at Riverside Park in Provo. Police say knives and baseball bats were brought to a confrontation in which some members were stabbed repeatedly.

Prosecutors say High and Cristobal are known gang members who have been arrested for numerous crimes since they turned 18. The most recent arrest occurred on Oct. 24 when the pair and a third suspect attacked two men on the Provo River Trail.

Prosecutor Chad Grunander said he is pleased with the prison sentences and said gang detectives around the valley are probably happy to see the men behind bars. The two men have been in court frequently and were some of the most active gang members to come through the courts, he said.

"Saul is probably No. 1 on the list, followed by Lonny High," he said.

Despite numerous arrests over the last few years, both men have frequently avoided harsh jail time. Until now, the majority of their arrests have been misdemeanors that would not have landed them in prison.

"They finally graduated themselves to the more serious, violent offenses," Grunander said.

Grunander said Cristobal claimed to no longer have gang ties. Although the most recent allegations against him have not yet been proven, Cristobal has shown he may not have severed ties with gangs. He also claimed no responsibility in the gang fight, claiming to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

High, on the other hand, did not protest his prison sentence and seemed to take responsibility, admitting most of his probation violations, Grunander said. He denied only the allegation of the recent assault because he has not been convicted. Grunander said High seemed resolved to his prison term, as he has exhausted resources with law enforcement.

"I think, frankly, that he's simply shown himself to not be amenable to being supervised by" Adult Probation and Parole, he said.

Cristobal's attorney, McKay King, said there were mitigating circumstances in his client's case, but Cristobal did not want to fight the sentence. King said Cristobal did not stab anyone, but was charged along with everyone who was at the scene. Two people got into a fight, and everyone else was just there, he said.

"The evidence doesn't even suggest that anybody even knew it was going to happen," he said.

King said Cristobal is upset because he had a lot of job opportunities before he was sent to prison and will have to start over when he gets out. However, Cristobal wanted to go to prison rather than the jail because he felt he would get better treatment there. Because of Cristobal's alleged gang ties, he is in solitary confinement at the jail.

High's attorney, Thomas Means, said prison will be a difficult place for his client to turn his life around.

"I wish he would have taken another shot at probation," he said.

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