Armed robbery suspect may be ready to deal

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - Accused serial robber Dylan Burdick is expected to plead guilty to nine counts of robbery in exchange for a maximum 11 years in prison.

Burdick's trial date remains scheduled for June 14, but on Thursday in El Dorado County Superior Court, he filled out a plea form and will likely enter his admission May 5 in a deal offered by the prosecution.

Burdick is charged with nine counts of robbery stemming from at least a dozen stickups of pedestrians and four convenience stores from November to February of this year. No one was injured, but the robberies did persuade police to place undercover pedestrian officers at Stateline.

Authorities believe Burdick and accomplice William Weldy, who is charged with one robbery count and will be in court May 12 for a preliminary hearing, used replica handguns that were actually BB guns to score drugs.

El Dorado County Public Defender Rick Meyer said his client admitted his part in the robberies during the initial interviews with authorities after his Feb. 14 arrest. He remains in custody.

"He's very straightforward in addressing his bad behavior in this situation," Meyer said, adding methamphetamine use guided Burdick to criminal activity.

In January of last year, Meyer was buying a newspaper at Roadrunner Gas & Liquor in Meyers when the store was hit by masked gunmen. The criminals turned out to be South Tahoe High School students using BB guns to get money for drugs such as cocaine.

Armed with that anecdote, Meyer told Judge Jerald Lasarow that he explained to his client how "frightening" it is being a victim in a robbery.

Meyer told the judge he had received letters from residents in Tahoe City, Burdick's hometown, from law enforcement and others, praising and defending Burdick's character.