PUEBLO, Colo. – A woman caught with her two brothers after a nationwide manhunt told Colorado authorities she "deserved to get shot" after pointing a gun at a police chief at the end of the siblings' run from the law, according to a court document.
Lee Grace Dougherty, 29, Dylan Dougherty Stanley, 26, and Ryan Edward Dougherty, 21, are being held in Pueblo County, Colo., on bonds of $1.25 million each. The three made their first court appearance Thursday by video from jail, and none made any statement during the brief hearing.
They face charges of attempted murder of a peace officer and assault on a peace officer. The charges stem from allegations that they shot rounds from an AK-47 at four patrol cars during a chase Wednesday on Interstate 25 in Colorado. The chase ended when troopers deployed spike strips to puncture the tires of the trio's Subaru, and the vehicle rolled and crashed into a guardrail.
According to an arrest affidavit, Lee Dougherty ran from the crash and was shot in the leg by Walsenburg Police Chief James Chamblerlain after she pointed a "machine pistol" at him. The document says she later told police, "I deserved to get shot."
Investigators said that when they asked her about gunfire during the chase, Lee Dougherty said she thought authorities were firing at them. Authorities said they didn't fire at the fugitives' car and believe she might have mistaken the sound of the spike strips for gunshots.
"We weren't trying to hurt anyone; we just wanted them to get back. They were way back and we could barely see them," she said, according to the affidavit. Separate affidavits for the three don't include statements from the brothers.
The trio's mother, Barbara Bell of East Palatka, Fla., spoke briefly Thursday to The Associated Press but declined to discuss their ordeal, saying she didn't think it would help them in the long run.
"Thank God they're not tried by the media," she said. "They're tried in a court of law and their story will come out at that time."
Bell hung up the phone shortly after a reporter called, saying she needed to keep the line open for concerned family members to reach her.
"I'm devastated and I'm trying to be strong for other family members," Bell said. "Throughout all of this, I think everybody just wanted it to stop. And now it's over."
The public defender appointed to represent the siblings, William Martinez, didn't immediately return a phone message.
The siblings also have no-bond warrants in Georgia and Florida on charges they robbed a bank in Georgia and shot at a police officer in Florida on Aug. 2.
"These three have a big legal mess in front of them, and at some point they'll face charges in all those jurisdictions," FBI Special Agent Phil Niedringhaus said.
Dylan Stanley and Ryan Dougherty are from Lacoochee, Fla. Lee Dougherty had been living with a boyfriend in Orlando, Fla., according to the Pasco County Sheriff's office.
Although another court hearing has been scheduled for the siblings in Pueblo on Monday, it's not clear whether they will ultimately be tried in court in Colorado, another state or federal court.
"State and federal agents and prosecutors continue to coordinate to determine what the appropriate next step is," said Jeff Dorschner, a spokesman for Colorado's U.S. attorney, John Walsh.
Pueblo County District Attorney Bill Thiebaut won't file charges until he can review reports from five state and local agencies involved in the Colorado chase. He said he hasn't been in contact with prosecutors from other states.
"My inclination is that if we can ethically charge these people with a serious crime here out of our office in Pueblo, it's likely we will be doing that," he said. "If we have probable cause, we will do that."
Attempted murder, the more serious of the preliminary Colorado charges, carries a sentence of up to 12 years in prison, but that could be increased to 48 years if it's found to be a crime of violence under Colorado law, he said.
The hunt for the siblings moved to Colorado on Tuesday after a sighting in Colorado Springs, where they reportedly bought camping gear. After images of the trio were broadcast on television, someone tipped Colorado state troopers and the Pueblo County sheriff Wednesday that the suspects might be at a campground in the remote San Isabel National Forest in southern Colorado.
A Pueblo County sheriff's detective spotted the car near an interstate highway that day and followed it discreetly until state troopers joined him. Then the chase was on.
Jenny Neal, a clerk who was working when the siblings went to the Sinclair gas station in Colorado City, said she had not been paying attention to the news so she didn't know who they were. After a detective came to the store to review video footage, Neal learned it was Dylan Stanley who went into the store by himself and bought vitamin water, sunflower seeds and gas.
"He was perfectly polite and friendly and, you know, completely calm and courteous, and I really didn't think anything about it," said Neal, 38.
"It's probably better that I didn't know anything, you know. I mean, it could've been different had I recognized them and been nervous or anything. It's a scary thought," she said.
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Associated Press writers Russ Bynum in Georgia; Mitch Stacy, Harry Weber and Michael Schneider in Florida; and Dan Elliott and Ivan Moreno in Colorado contributed to this report.
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Follow Kristen Wyatt at http://twitter.com/APkristenwyatt .
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