Dougherty Sibling Planned to Break Out of Jail Through Pipe and Free Sister

Jan. 28, 2011 — -- One of the three members of the notorious Dougherty gang was planning to escape from his prison cell through a plumbing pipe with a homemade weapon, according to Colorado police.

Dylan Stanley Dougherty is one of the three members of the Dougherty family who are behind bars after allegedly leading police on a crime spree through several states.

According to a probable cause arrest warrant affidavit, when officers searched Dylan Dougherty's cell, they found a plumbing hatch "was tampered with and pried open." Behind the hatch, the "insulation was torn out," the affidavit said.

When police followed the pipe to the ceiling, they found "footprints ... all the way over to the female cells" where Dylan Dougherty's sister, Lee Grace Dougherty, was being held. Inside her cell, police found a handwritten note from her brother, telling her to pack her things because he planned to subdue the guards, take their keys and liberate his sister.

Two sealed envelopes were found in Dylan Dougherty's cell, one addressed to the FBI, and the other to the Huerfano County Jail staff. The later stated, "I have enjoyed staying here, so don't take any of this personal," according to the affidavit.

Police found an 8-inch-long homemade metal weapon with a sharpened point under Dougherty's sleeping bunk, according to the affidavit.

But Colorado jailers say they discovered the Dougherty's plans during a search earlier this month, and he was transferred to Pueblo County Jail, where he is now being held.

ABC News consultant and former FBI Agent Brad Garrett says jails and prisons take precautions against such plots.

"They search cells regularly. They also have an informant system within the prison to feed them intelligence information about escapes among other things," Garrett said.

Garrett said he is not the least bit surprised about Dougherty's escape plan.

"It goes to the whole 'showy immaturity' that I have seen in a number of criminals, where they want to out-fox everybody and they want to make it grand and glorious," Garrett said. "People locked up, particularly who have committed high profile violent crime, like attention. You don't get much attention if you're locked up in a cell day in and day out, but escaping, you're back in the middle, you're back in the movie so to speak."

Ryan Dougherty, 21, his sister Lee Grace E. Dougherty, 29, and half-brother Dylan Dougherty Stanley, 26 -- dubbed the "Dougherty Gang" -- were allegedly driving as fast as 100 miles per hour on Aug. 2 when a Zephyrhills, Fla., police officer attempted to pull them over. They allegedly fired 20 shots at the officer and escaped when one of the bullets hit the police car's tire. The officer was not injured.

Later that day, the Dougherty gang allegedly robbed a bank Valdosta, Ga., bank while wearing masks and firing rounds from an AK-47 at the ceiling.

Police caught up with the siblings on Aug. 10, 2011, in Colorado after a tip they were spotted buying camping equipment. After a 20-mile chase down the interstate, the pursuit culminated in the Doughertys' car flipping over and landing on top of a guard rail.

The siblings share a lengthy criminal history that includes 20 felonies among them, not withstanding the additional 70 charges they racked up from the alleged crime spree last summer. Their previous charges range from drug possession to battery and to burglary.

ABC News' Alyssa Newcomb and Christina Ng contributed to this report.