'Dougherty Gang' May Have Been Sighted in Colorado, Cops Say
Aug. 9, 2011 — -- The Dougherty Gang -- a stripper and her two heavily armed brothers who allegedly went on a crime spree in Florida and Georgia last week -- may have been spotted in Colorado, Colorado Springs police said today.
At about 1:30 p.m. today the Colorado Springs Police Department received a report that people were spotted in the area of Woodmen and I-25 that matched the description of the Dougherty siblings, police announced this evening.
Ryan Dougherty, 21, sister Lee Grace E. Dougherty, 29, and half-brother Dylan Dougherty Stanley, 26, have been on the run since Aug. 2 when they allegedly shot at a Florida police officer attempting to pull them over for speeding. A few hours later, they allegedly robbed a bank in Georgia.
It was unknown if the people spotted in the area of Woodmen and I-25 are the Dougherty siblings, but police asked residents to be on the lookout and "to exercise extreme caution" if they see the suspects, who are considered armed and very dangerous.
The three individuals were last seen driving a white 4-door Subaru Impreza with Texas license plates LCS 909, which have been reported stolen out of Texas, Colorado Springs police said.
Officials with the FBI's Denver office told ABC News that the sighting is credible, based on multiple interviews with witnesses.
"This appears to be the real deal," FBI spokesman Dave Joly said.
The FBI does not know what direction the suspects might be going but is telling people to keep an eye out in rural areas and in campgrounds where the siblings may be staying or hiding out, Joly said.
Police warned today that the siblings, known as the Dougherty Gang or Doughterty Family, is packing a powerful arsenal and is not afraid to use it.
"We know that Ryan several years ago purchased an AK-47 at a pawn shop," Pasco County (Fla.)Sheriff Chris Nocco said. "We know his brother, Dylan, also purchased several high-caliber rifles and handguns. ... We were also informed by family members that they do have a large arsenal and when we searched the house, there were no weapons or any ammunition left so we know they took them with them."
The Dougherty's mother, Barbara Bell, has previously called on her children to surrender, but that plea was met with silence. Today she told ABC News that she hopes that Dylan -- the sibling with the shortest rap sheet -- will set an example and convince the other two that they should surrender.
Dylan Stanley has a record of being arrested on a marijuana charge. His younger brother Ryan, however, has 14 felony arrests on his record. The manhunt for the Doughertys started the same day that Ryan Dougherty had allegedly cut off his court-ordered ankle monitoring device. He'd been forced to register as a sex offender for sending explicit text messages to an 11-year-old girl.
Police Say Dougherty Gang Could Be Anywhere
Lee Grace Dougherty, who has been identified as a stripper who works at a Florida club called Cheaters, has five arrests for hit-and-run and several misdemeanors.
Nocco said the siblings could be anywhere.
"We want to reiterate to the Dougherty family, we want you to turn yourselves in, we want a peaceful resolution, but at the same time we understand if they want to battle with us, we have the resources and we will win," Nocco said.
In recent days, police have swooped down on locations in Chattanooga and Nashville, Tenn., after spotting people suspected of being the Dougherty family.
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office released dash-cam video of the high-speed chase that launched the nationwide manhunt to find the siblings, dubbed the Dougherty Gang.
The video shows the Doughertys' white Subaru zooming by the Zephyrhills, Fla., police car. The police officer can be heard saying, "Speeds over 100 mph at this time."
The siblings allegedly take aim at the car. The officer says, "Fired several shots at me."
