Colorado authorities captured three Dougherty siblings after a high-speed chase near Colorado Springs Wednesday morning, bringing an end to an interstate manhunt. The trio have been charged with armed bank robbery in Georgia and attempted murder of a Florida policeman.
The arrested suspects are Ryan Edward Dougherty, 21, Lee Grace E. Dougherty, 29, and half-brother Dylan Dougherty Stanley, 26.
Lee Grace, a former exotic dancer at Cheaters in Cocoa Beach, recently described herself on her Flickr profile: “I have a huge crazy family. I’m 29 but act like I’m 17 most of the time. I love to shoot guys and wreck cars. I’m a redneck and proud of it… I like causing mayhem with my siblings.”
A U.S. magistrate issued arrest warrants for the trio after they brandished an AK-47 assault rifle and a machine pistol during a bank heist in Valdosa, Georgia.
The Dougherty gang attempted to murder a Zephyrhills, Florida police officer five hours earlier during a 100 mph chase when they fired rounds at the police car, disabling it by shooting out a tire.
An interstate manhunt has been underway since the drama began to unfold early Tuesday morning.
According to a police timeline, Ryan Dougherty was sentenced Monday in Volusia County, Florida to 10 years’ probation and two years of community controlled monitoring for “sending harmful information to a minor.” His offense was sending sexually explicit text messages to an 11-year-old girl he met on MySpace.
Immediately after the sentencing, Dougherty sent a text message to his mother: “There’s a time for all of us to die.”
The family trio got into a white four-door vehicle at their Lacoochee home at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. At 6:59 a.m. Ryan Dougherty cut off his GPS ankle bracelet. At 7:12 a.m. they fired on the Florida officer.
The family members entered the CertusBank in Valdosta, Georgia at 12:24 p.m. Dressed in black with masks, they shot rounds into the ceiling while ordering everyone to get down on the floor. Two of the three were brandishing weapons while a third loaded up an undisclosed amount of cash.
Following a 20-mile chase that started on Highway 74 and ended on Highway 53 south of Walsenburg, Colorado, police arrested two of the siblings at 9:43 a.m.. Lee Grace was shot in the leg, though the extent of her injuries was not known. One brother fled the scene on foot but was captured at a nearby hotel a short time later.
The siblings were taken to Pueblo County Jail for booking.
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Photos: Video Screen Grab