Colorado Springs criminal defense attorneys know that in many cases, the cliche is true: the road to ruin is often paved with good intentions.

In the case of the Dougherty siblings, their need for a solid Colorado Springs criminal defense stemmed from the desire to help the youngest brother.

The 22-year-old was a registered sex offender in Florida, and was under the strict thumb of his probation officer. When he was 19, he had been texting a girl who was 11, but who he reportedly thought was 13. He was then told he would not be allowed to see his unborn son because of his sex offender status. Plus, he was told that a $250-a-month ankle monitoring bracelet would have to be worn. He couldn’t afford it.

His older siblings wanted him to have a fresh start and a new life in Belize, where they dreamed of living out the rest of their days.

Now, all three have been sentenced to decades behind bars.

According to Denver media reports, the trio made national news when they reportedly fled Florida with nearly a dozen guns and some 2,000 ammunition rounds. They reportedly robbed a bank in Georgia for more than $5,000 before fleeing to Colorado, and firing gunshots at state troopers who were attempting to pull them over. No troopers were hurt in the shooting, though the three were eventually arrested.

The oldest sibling, the 32-year-old sister, was sentenced to 24 years in Colorado state prison after pleading guilty to first-degree assault and felony menacing.

The 27-year-old brother, identified as the gunman who was firing at the troopers, was sentenced to 32 years. He was quoted as saying that if he had truly intended to shoot the troopers, he would have done so.

The youngest sibling was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role.

Even the siblings have admitted in open court that the plan was not very well thought out.

What’s important to note in this case is that the younger sibling, who felt stifled by the conditions of his probation, could have actually received a much harsher sentence for his original crime. An experienced criminal defense attorney may have pointed this out to him, as well as the fact that a life in Belize may well have been in his grasp, if he had been a bit more patient.