Mitigation hearing in bank robbery case OK’d
The attorney representing the man charged in connection to the armed robbery of a branch of the National Bank of Arizona last year asked for a mitigation hearing on Wednesday after being informed of the sentence his client would receive.
During what was to be Richard Howard Weigelt’s sentencing in Yuma County Superior Court, Superior Court Judge David Haws informed attorney Richard Edgar that he intended to impose a presumptive prison sentence of 1 1/2 years, with credit for 215 days previously served, in one of the three cases against him.
Judge Haws also stated that he intended to sentence Weigelt to another 1 1/2 years in prison, this time with credit for 217 days previously served, in one of the other cases, and that it would be served concurrently with his other prison sentence.
As for the last of the three cases, Haws said he planned to sentence Weigelt to a term of supervised probation, which he would begin serving once he was released from prison.
Prosecutor Joshua Salisbury, of the Yuma County Attorney’s Office, upon hearing that Edgar had requested a mitigation hearing, asked the court for the opportunity to present aggravating factors. Haws granted the prosecution’s request and scheduled the hearing for 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 8, with sentencing to possibly follow.
During a mitigation hearing, the defendant’s attorney presents evidence or testimony to show why their client should receive a reduced sentence. However, the prosecution can also present evidence or testimony in an attempt to get the judge to impose a longer sentence.
Weigelt, who remains in custody on a $55,000 bond, pleaded guilty to offenses in three separate plea agreements last month. In return for his guilty pleas, multiple other charges against him were dismissed.
According to Yuma police, the National Bank of Arizona, 2415 S. Avenue A, was robbed Dec. 7, 2017, by a man who implied he had a weapon.
The initial investigation into the incident revealed the suspect, identified as 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 fled the bank.
Weigelt was found in the 700 block of 24th Street later that night and taken into custody without incident.