Dougherty siblings return to Georgia for hearing
(CBS/AP) ATLANTA - The Florida trio known as the Dougherty siblings, accused in a cross-country crime spree that included a bank robbery in Georgia and a shootout with Colorado police, are set for a court hearing today in southwest Georgia.
The three, 21-year-old Ryan Edward Dougherty, 26-year-old Dylan Stanley-Dougherty and 29-year-old Lee Grace Dougherty, have already been given hefty prison sentences in Colorado for leading police on a dangerous chase on a busy interstate highway after two retired officers recognized them. The hearing set for Tuesday in Albany, Ga., should reveal more details about the trio, who were at the center of a nationwide manhunt.
They face charges in the state of robbing a bank for cash that helped fuel their escape.
The search for the gang began in August when an officer northeast of Tampa, Fla., tried to pull over their car for speeding. That led to a five-mile police chase, with speeds around 100 mph. Two of the passengers squeezed off at least 20 gunshots at the officer following them. He wasn't hurt, but a bullet burst one of his tires and he had to give up the chase. A few hours later, authorities say the three made their way to the Certus Bank in Valdosta, Ga., about 210 miles north. One of them brandished an AK-47-style rifle while another was photographed by a security camera waving a pistol, the FBI said. The robbers fired shots into the ceiling and then fled with about $5,200 in cash, burning through $1,000 as they made their way west.
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 about eight days later after two retired officers spotted the three while on a leisure trip in the San Isabel National Forest and called in the sighting. 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.
The three were sentenced last month to hefty prison sentences for the mayhem in Colorado and they could face more prison in Georgia and Florida. At last month's sentencing hearing, Ryan Dougherty was given 18 years, Lee Grace Dougherty received 24 years and Dylan Stanley-Dougherty got 32 years.
Complete coverage of the Dougherty siblings on Crimesider
