The great escape

There is a distinct advantage to having a well thought plan, especially when you are attempting to rob a bank. Patrick Burr, 46 of Provo UT will have 27 months to understand how the flaws in his and his wife's plan to rob the Utah Community Credit Union on Dec 1 2006 put him in jail.

Patrick J Burr and Heather G Burr, 33 had been charged with conspiracy to commit bank robbery after a months long investigation by FBI agents. Those agents reported that they began investigating the Burrs after a connection was found to them with another case involving the trade of firearms to an undercover agent for methamphetamine. The couple had told an informant as recently as Nov 2006, that they were involved in prior bank robberies in Utah and at one point, accompanied Patrick Burr to a Provo credit union to "case" the place with him. The informant had also recorded their plans and the Burr's were arrested after Patrick stated that he planned to aquire a gun and steal a car.

"What in the world were you thinking," U S District Judge Dee Benson asked Patrick Burr.

Benson wasn't asking him about the "new" plans but was referring to their original plan. The Burrs had aquired two large inner tubes that would be hidden in the bushes next to the Provo River and be used as the "get away" vehicles. Heather Burr's car though was impounded a few days before the planned heist for an insurance violation and with it, the inner tubes. That seems to be the point that Patrick moved to plan B and the FBI moved in for the arrest.

Both the Burrs were detained, Patrick as a danger to the community and a flight risk and Heather with the option of possible work release or educational release and they have both now pled guilty to the charges. While Patrick was sentenced this week to the 27 months, Heather will have to wait until sometime next week to before she knows her sentence.

Plan A which was scrapped when the car was impounded...... not only did it take their evidently so rare they can't be replaced inner tubes but one was found to have a hole in it. I have to question as well, what were they thinking......Let's not use the car for the get away but instead, we will escape in inner tubes on the "raging" Provo River, a river that was running at an average 4 mph that time of year. There seem to be a few very large gaps in their planning.