Attorney granted continuance in armed bank robbery case
The attorney now representing the man charged in connection to the armed robbery of a branch of the National Bank of Arizona made another request Wednesday in Yuma County Superior Court for more time to continue preparing his client’s case.
Attorney Richard Edgar, who represents Richard Howard Weigelt, made the request when asked to provide the court with an update, adding that he has not yet received two pieces of evidence in the case.
Edgar also stated that new charges are likely to be filed against his client, which would make for a third case against him.
Superior Court Judge David Haws, after listening to Edgar’s explanation, granted his request and scheduled Weigelt’s next hearing for 8:30 a.m. on May 2.
Weigelt, 29, who remains in custody at the Yuma County jail on a combined $55,000 bond, currently has two cases against him that charge him with robbery, possession of a narcotic drug and possession of drug paraphernalia. He had previously been represented by attorney Raymond Vacca of the Yuma County Public Defenders office.
At Weigelt’s January hearing, Vacca told the court that plea offers were in the works that would resolve both cases.
According to Yuma police, the National Bank of Arizona, 2415 S. Avenue A, was robbed Dec. 7 at approximately 4:02 p.m. by a man who implied he had a weapon.
The initial investigation into the incident revealed the suspect, now believed to be Weigelt, handed the bank teller a note, told her he had a gun and demanded money. No gun, however, was ever displayed.
The teller handed the suspect an undisclosed amount of money, and he was last seen fleeing east on 24th Street on foot.
Weigelt, who was arrested within six hours of the robbery, was found in the 700 block of 24th Street at 10 p.m. and arrested without incident.