Yuma News Now

According to the criminal complaint filed today in federal court, the pair have also been charged for their roles in other bank robberies committed throughout April and May 2009 in Scottsdale, Phoenix and Chandler, Arizona Daehling is charged with seven counts of Bank Robbery and Heidrick-Daehling is charged with three counts of Bank Robbery. Both defendants made their initial appearance this afternoon in federal court and are being detained pending a hearing set for Friday, May 15, 2009 at 11:00 a.m.

According to the Scottsdale Police Department, a Reserve Deputy from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office called in a suspicious person report and copied down Daehling’s license plate number as the defendant fled the bank yesterday afternoon. Scottsdale Police Officers and Special Agents from the FBI responded and arrested the Daehling couple. A third occupant in the vehicle has not yet been charged.

A conviction for each count of Bank Robbery carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine or both. A criminal complaint is simply the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The FBI recently announced the stand-up of a Bank Robbery Task Force, partnering with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, the Mesa Police Department, the Phoenix Police Department, the Scottsdale Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to collectively investigate, arrest, and seek prosecution of those responsible for robbing banks in the Valley. Tips received after news broadcasts of last week’s announcement helped lead investigators to Daehling as a suspect in several bank robberies.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the FBI’s Bank Robbery Task Force and the Scottsdale Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Roger Dokken, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.