Man Charged In Fatal Holdup Of Loomis Truck In '91

EVERETT - Nearly five years after an armored-car guard was killed in a robbery outside a Fred Meyer store in Lynnwood, authorities have charged a Michigan man with planning the holdup.

Michael Carl Wortz, 28, who had been arrested Oct. 11 in an unrelated case, was charged yesterday with conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery in the Feb. 19, 1991, Lynnwood case. Wortz worked briefly for Loomis in 1990.

Authorities also are looking for a second man, who is suspected of fatally shooting armored-car guard Peter Berg, and wounding fellow guard Jeffrey Pease in the 1991 robbery.

Jim Townsend, Snohomish County's chief criminal deputy prosecutor, said the shooter's identity is known to authorities, but he declined to elaborate. Townsend said Wortz has no connection to the Pratt family, some of whom were arrested early in the investigation of the robbery.

During one raid, a deputy shot and killed Robin Pratt, a 28-year-old mother and wife of one of the men then thought to be suspects.

In lawsuits stemming from the shooting, the Pratt family received a $3.4 million settlement from Lynnwood and $1.15 million from Snohomish County.

Wortz, who is being held by federal authorities in King County, lived with his family in Novi, Mich., from June 1993 until February 1994, when his ex-wife took the daughter and moved to Washington. The FBI arrested Wortz in Michigan last month and federal charges were filed against him in connection with an unrelated armored-car theft, Townsend said.

Townsend said it would be up to federal authorities to decide whether to release Wortz to the state in the Lynnwood case, or to proceed first to trial on the federal charge.

In the Lynnwood robbery, two men ambushed Loomis security guards as they were carrying cash from the Fred Meyer store. Both guards were shot. Berg died, Pease survived. The robbers fled with at least $30,000 in cash and checks, according to charging papers.

A break in the case came this summer, when Wortz's ex-wife told a Seattle Police officer that her ex-husband had planned to rob a Loomis armored car at the Lynnwood store in early 1991, according to the charging papers.

The ex-wife, Jenney Lynn Wortz, said that a short time before the robbery, she accompanied Wortz to the store to conduct surveillance on a Loomis armored truck, according to prosecutors. "(But she) did not assert any knowledge as to whether or not the defendant actually followed through and committed the crime," the court papers said.

Townsend wouldn't say why Wortz wasn't arrested immediately after his ex-wife tipped police.

Wortz enlisted the help of another man in the robbery, according to charging papers. The man was chosen because he was well-known to Wortz and because he was big.

With the arrest of one man, members of the Berg family have expressed some relief. Peter Berg, 48, left behind a wife, two sons and a daughter.

One son, Steve Berg, said he was happy but cautious to hear that someone had been charged in the case.

"I just hope it is the right people this time," said Berg, of Lake Stevens. "We had the first hope when they went and arrested the Pratts, and that turned out to be a tragedy. That's my biggest concern. I would hate to see that happen again."

Peter Berg's brother, George Berg of Issaquah, said he, too, was happy to hear that someone had been charged in the case. But he wanted to make sure that prosecutors had the right man before saying more.

Lynnwood Mayor Tina Roberts declined to comment, saying city officials had reached an agreement with the prosecutor's office to say nothing about the case.

A woman who answered the phone for Loomis in Seattle said no one was available for comment. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Chronology

Here is the chronology of the Loomis amored-car robbery and the shooting of Robin Pratt:

-- Feb. 19, 1991: Two Loomis Armored Inc. guards are shot, one fatally, at the Fred Meyer store in Lynnwood. The two gunmen flee with $30,000.

-- March 28, 1992: Robin Marie Pratt is shot and killed by Snohomish County Sheriff's Deputy Anthony Aston during a SWAT team raid on her south Everett apartment. Her husband Larry Pratt, a suspect in the Loomis robbery, is arrested along with five other relatives during simultaneous raids around the county.

-- April 1, 1992: Charges against the six men are dropped after prosecutors learn many of them have alibis, including Larry Pratt, who was at work at an Everett tire store at the time of the shooting.

-- June 5, 1992: Following a three-day inquest, four of six jurors conclude Aston committed a crime when he shot Pratt. Three say it was an intentional act; one says it was negligent; and two others call it an excusable homicide.

-- July 16, 1992: Attorneys for Pratt's family file claims seeking $97.1 million in damages from Snohomish County and three cities on behalf of 19 individuals, including Larry Pratt, the Pratts' daughter and niece.

-- Aug. 7, 1992: Greg Canova, senior assistant state attorney general, decides not to file criminal charges against Aston.

-- Oct. 15, 1992: Attorneys for the Pratt family file a civil lawsuit in federal court against the city of Lynnwood and Snohomish County.

-- March 28, 1993: About 35 family members and friends say a final goodbye to Robin Pratt during a memorial service at an Everett funeral home on the anniversary of her death.

-- Aug. 5: 1993: Pratt family and Snohomish County agree to settle the lawsuit for $1.15 million.

-- Jan 14, 1994: 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules against Lynnwood's contention that three members of its police department named in the Pratt family lawsuit should not be held responsible for the shooting on the grounds of "qualified immunity."

-- March 25, 1994: Five new civil lawsuits are filed in U.S. District Court against Snohomish County, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace on behalf of 14 people, all targets in the SWAT raid.

-- April 22, 1994: Pratt family and city of Lynnwood settle lawsuit for $3.4 million.

-- Nov. 15, 1995: Michael Carl Wortz, 28, of Novi, Mich. is charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery. The man suspected of the shootings remains at large.