ATLANTA —
Two of the three siblings accused of robbing a Valdosta bank during a cross-country crime spree that started in Florida and ended with a shootout in Colorado plan to enter into plea deals with federal prosecutors, according to court documents.
The court filings show Ryan Dougherty and Lee Grace Dougherty are in the process of working out plea agreements. John Gee Edwards, a lawyer for Lee Grace Dougherty, said Friday he did not want to comment on the matter, while a lawyer for Ryan Dougherty did not immediately return an email and a call seeking comment.
Dylan Stanley Dougherty did not yet have a signed plea agreement, his lawyer Tina Hunt said.
All three have been indicted on bank-robbery and firearm charges in Georgia. They had pleaded not guilty to those charges in May.
They are accused of the Aug. 2, 2011, bank robbery of CertusBank on Norman Drive. During the bank robbery, a federal indictment claims the robbers used and carried an AK-47-style pistol rifle, one semi-automatic machine pistol, and one Mauser .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun.
Shots were fired into the ceiling of the bank, according to reports.
Referred to in national media as the Dougherty Gang, the siblings led authorities on a weeklong nationwide manhunt from shots being fired at a Florida police officer to the Valdosta bank robbery to a high-speed chase ending with a shootout in Colorado.
Following guilty pleas, the trio was sentenced earlier this year in Colorado for charges associated with the chase and shootout between police and the Doughertys that occurred in August 2011.
Colorado courts handed down a sentence of 18 years to Ryan, 24 years to Lee Grace and 32 years to Dylan, according to Associated Press reports. Lee Grace’s sentence was reduced from 28 years to 24 after entering a plea of guilty to several charges.
In May, they entered not guilty pleas in an Albany courtroom.
Last month, each of
them had filed motions asking a judge to hear their cases separately and to suppress statements they made to law enforcement while in custody. A lawyer for Ryan Dougherty filed a request Thursday to withdraw his earlier motions, saying he was working on a plea agreement and wants to plead guilty in the case. Edwards filed a similar request Friday for Lee Grace Dougherty.
They also face charges in Florida for allegedly shooting at an officer during a high-speed chase.
The crime spree began in August 2011 when an officer northeast of Tampa, Fla., tried to pull over their car for speeding. That led to a five-mile police chase, at speeds around 100 mph. Two of the passengers fired at the officer pursuing them at least 20 times. He wasn’t hurt, but a bullet burst one of his tires, forcing him to give up the chase.
A few hours later, authorities say, the three made their way to the CertusBank in Valdosta.
The string of violent crimes sparked nationwide attention. Their images were plastered on electronic billboards throughout the Southeast. Their mother, Barbara Bell, encouraged her children to turn themselves in before someone got hurt, while authorities warned the public to steer clear.
The chase ended Aug. 10, 2011 after two retired officers spotted the three while on a leisure trip in the San Isabel National Forest. Within an hour, the fugitives were leading authorities on a 20-mile police chase on Interstate 25 that ended in Walsenburg, about 150 miles south of Denver. Shots were fired at the officers before troopers deployed spike strips to puncture the tires of the trio’s Subaru, and the vehicle rolled before crashing into a guardrail.
Even then, the chase wasn’t over. Lee Dougherty bolted from the crash on foot, only to be shot in the leg by an officer after she pointed a pistol at him, authorities said.
Local News
Related Photos
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This bank security camera image shows three suspects robbing the CertusBank branch in Valdosta on Aug. 2, 2011. Two of three siblings accused of robbing the bank are preparing to enter plea deals with federal prosecutors, according to court documents. Contributed photo
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Two fugitive siblings to plead guilty
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