Guilty plea in a spree that hit armored car

Article by: Star Tribune
Updated: November 16, 2009 - 11:39 PM

Already serving time for attempted murder, carjacking in Minnesota, the suspect admitted crimes in Wisconsin.

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A Wisconsin man accused of a 2003 two-state crime spree pleaded guilty Monday in Hudson, Wis., to one count of armed robbery and one count of arson.

Zachary R. Wiegand, 32, was charged in March with five felonies after an armored car robbery in which he took $238,000 at gunpoint. He also was charged with car theft and arson.

In Monday's plea agreement in St. Croix County Circuit Court, Wiegand pleaded guilty to the two felonies and the other three charges were dropped. Sentencing before Judge Eric Lundell is Friday.

"I think it's a fair agreement and it reflects the facts of the case," prosecutor Frank Collins said after the hearing.

One of Wiegand's victims, Julie Bever, of Lake Elmo, was in the courtroom with her family. Wiegand shot her four times the night of May 28, 2003, when he tried to seize her car on a dark road in Washington County. She said after Monday's hearing that she is anxious for the case to end.

Wiegand's crimes in Hudson the day after the shooting involved the armed robbery of two security guards in the parking lot of Citizens State Bank. He later set fire to the getaway vehicle -- a van he stole from a woman who had stopped to help Bever.

Wiegand made no statement Monday but did reply "Yes, sir," several times when Lundell questioned him about the agreement. Wiegand already is serving 12 years in prison for the Minnesota crimes. Collins asked Lundell to consider that the sentence pronounced Friday will run consecutive to the Minnesota sentence.

Armed robbery in Wisconsin carries a maximum penalty of 40 years. Arson of property other than a building has a maximum of 3 1/2 years.

KEVIN GILES