Local News in Brief : Convicted Robber Pleads Guilty to Escape

Abrief escape from custody last month in Van Nuys by a convicted robber could cost him two more years in prison, according to a plea agreement he reached with prosecutors Monday.

Edward Lee Gandy, 24, of Canoga Park, wore handcuffs and leg chains as he pleaded guilty Monday in Van Nuys Municipal Court to a charge of escape. Last month, he was sentenced to 21 years in prison for the robberies of 12 San Fernando Valley businesses in May, 1987.

Three days before his sentencing, he slipped from his handcuffs in a holding area at the Van Nuys courthouse, scaled a 12-foot fence topped with razor wire and ran. A Los Angeles County deputy marshal caught Gandy several minutes later less than two blocks from the courthouse after he tried to commandeer a car, authorities said.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael Pargament said in court Monday that in exchange for Gandy’s guilty plea, prosecutors will ask that Gandy be given a two-year sentence for the escape, the minimum term. He could have received as much as six years in prison.

The escape sentence would be served after the 21-year term for the robberies, Pargament said.

Van Nuys Municipal Judge James M. Coleman scheduled sentencing for Monday before Van Nuys Superior Court Commissioner Sherman Juster.