A plea deal has been accepted in the case of Lee Grace Dougherty, the woman arrested in Southern Colorado with her two brothers following a cross-country manhunt.

11 News was in the courtroom as the agreement was announced. Lee Grace seemed confident as she addressed the court, clearly stating “This is what I want to do” when asked if she understood she was giving up her right to a jury trial.

The 29-year-old now faces nine to 28 years in prison after pleading guilty to three charges. All other charges were dropped. Sentencing is set for April 30.

The charges stem back to August 10, 2011 when Lee Grace and her two brothers Dylan Stanley and Ryan Dougherty were the center of nationwide manhunt that ended in Walsenburg. The notorious trio led law enforcement on a high speed chase and a shootout the eventually led to the siblings crashing.

Lee Grace entered the court room in a yellow jump-suit with shackles on her hands and feet. She had her hair pulled back in a fish-tail.

When Huerfano County Chief Judge Claude Appel asked her how she plead she always answered, “guilty your honor.”

As part of the plea deal, Lee Grace plead guilty to lesser charges including attempted first degree assault against a peace officer for pointing a gun at Walsenburg Police Chief James Chamberlain, who then shot her in the leg.

This charge was amended from first degree assault to attempted first degree assault. It could send her to jail for five to 16 years.

She also plead to two new charges of felony menacing against a peace officer. That’s for the siblings shooting at officers during that 120 mph chase down I-25.

The menacing charges could land her anywhere from 5 to 26 years behind bars. These charges stem from the testimony of Huerfano County Sheriff Deputy Joseph Albano and Detective Craig Lessar.

Both Lessar and Albano said it was a woman in the backseat of the white Subaru and that she pointed a gun at them as the car raced by.

District Attorney Frank Ruybalid now alleges it was Dylan, not Lee Grace who was firing the gun during the pursuit. Because of this, the sister gets these charges for being an accessory. They are based on what the court calls “complicitor liability” because she was complicit, meaning she was aware of the crime occurring and didn’t stop it.

When asked if she was clear on the charges she was pleading to, she said her attorney Public Defender Patrick McCarville went through it in detail with her and she said he “was the best lawyer ever.”

These charges were amended or added on February 2, and a plea hearing for those charges was set for Thursday, but the plea agreement hearing replaced it.

In November Lee Grace plead “not guilty” to 29 charges and was set to go to trial on February 21; the most serious including five counts of first degree assault and attempted 2nd degree murder.

11 News could not ask the Walsenburg Police Chief what he thought of the plea agreement because of a continuing gag order. But the prosecution in court said that all law enforcement involved were made aware of the charges and supported them.

Her brothers, 26-year-old Dylan Stanley-Dougherty and 22-year-old Ryan Dougherty are set to either enter a plea or set a trial date February 16. A possible plea deal is on the table as well.
The oldest brother also now faces charges for allegedly trying to break out of the Huerfano County detention facility.

The “Dougherty Gang” still faces potential prosecution in other states. In Florida the trio allegedly fired at a police officer during a chase on August 2, 2011 in Zephyrhills, Fla. and allegedly committed armed robbery that same day in Valdosta, Ga.

The charges Lee Grace plead to in Colorado will be served consecutively. Huerfano County Chief Judge Claude Appeal says the potential charges she faces in other states would be served consecutively. Meaning they will run at the same time, and if the charges she faces in Colorado are greater than those in other states, she will automatically serve the bigger sentence. But the sentencing in Colorado could be reconsidered depending on what happens during the prosecution in those other states.

While Lee Grace plead to lesser charges, she did receive a higher range of sentencing on those charges because they were “aggravated circumstances.”

Lee Grace will be held without bond in the Huerfano County Jail until her sentencing in April.

Ryan has a $1.25 million bail in Huerfano County, but because of the alleged escape Dylan is being held in Pueblo County on the same bail.

To see the six page plea agreement visit the 3rd Judicial District’s website.