Robbery suspect waives right to grand jury trial

Friday, Aug. 9, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

Elbert Eugene Randall of Washington appeared Thursday in U.S. Magistrate's Court, where a judge set an Oct. 7 trial date.

But it's likely Randall will reach a plea agreement with prosecutors before then, said his attorney, Bill Albright of Bountiful. Randall plans to plead guilty, Albright said.

In his first interview since he fled southern Utah and drove to the Midwest with the money, Randall told KSL-TV that he did not plan to steal the money from the Wells Fargo van he had been driving for five years.

"It was a stupid thing. The only thing I can figure out is I just flipped out under the pressure," Randall said.

Randall, 61, disappeared July 16. That afternoon he was supposed to drive the Wells Fargo van 33 miles from St. George to Mesquite, stopping at financial institutions in both cities to drop off and pick up money.

He did not deliver the $823,000 to the Wells Fargo Armored Service Corp. in Las Vegas and the empty van was found the next day at the St. George Airport.

Randall was missing for 12 days, and when he returned to Utah, he told the FBI he drove to Arizona and Minnesota in a car he had purchased this summer and left at the airport.

The FBI recovered all but $7,000 of the money, which Randall used to buy a van and for traveling expenses.

"The two weeks on the road was the most horrible time I had in my life," Randall said. "I felt like I lost my family and wife who loves me. It was hell and is still hell."

Randall remains free on a $25,000 signature bond, tethered to his home by an electronic monitor except for the hours he spends looking for a job or going to church.

He is charged with one felony count of transporting stolen property across state lines.

The maximum penalty for the crime is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, but Randall has no criminal history.

Albright said he has not yet discussed with prosecutors the possibilities for a plea. He expects that U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell will hear Randall's plea next month.