By Moses Leos III.
A collective effort from several local law enforcement agencies helped nab an armed robber that pulled off a heist at the First State Bank in Buda Tuesday morning.
The suspect, 49-year-old William Terry from San Antonio, was arrested in San Marcos. He was booked into the Hays County Jail Tuesday for aggravated robbery.
| TERRY |
According to the arrest affidavit, the suspect entered the bank at 9:22 a.m. and demanded money. He then pulled up his shirt, displaying a firearm tucked in his waistband.
Tellers complied, handing over an undisclosed amount of money in a bank deposit bag.
Terry then exited, leaving the premises in a white U-Haul passenger van, heading toward the Bradfield Village area.
Minutes later, Buda police arrived on scene and took down the description of the suspect’s vehicle.
Buda Police Chief Bo Kidd and several officers attempted to cut off the suspect, but he had already reached the interstate.
After broadcasting the description of the van, Hays County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) deputy Dustin Speckles spotted a matching vehicle traveling southbound near mile marker 219.
Kidd, along with Sgt. Bill Kuykendall and Det. Erika Simmons, raced to catch up with the van. Speckles continued following it, calling out his location on the radio.
Other law enforcement departments, including San Marcos Police, Department of Public Safety and other HCSO deputies, joined in to help tail the suspect.
Law enforcement leaders made a decision to make a felony stop at mile marker 206 in San Marcos.
According to Kidd, using multiple agencies is standard when dealing with an armed suspect.
“It’s not ideal for a single officer to stop the vehicle, especially when it’s going to be a felony stop, and guns are going to be drawn,” he said. “That officer is going to stay back and have other officers assist. Because of the nature of the crime reported, that’s standard procedure.”
Upon stopping the vehicle, law enforcement placed Terry under arrest. According to the affidavit, he told a deputy, “He shouldn’t have done what he did.”
Kidd said officers found the firearm in Terry’s vehicle that was used in the robbery. Law enforcement officers also found clothing that matched the description of the robber during the heist along with the money in the bank bag under the front driver’s seat.
Simmons and an FBI agent interviewed Terry at the Hays County Criminal Investigation Division conference room where he offered a written and verbal confession.
Kuykendall and Kidd returned to the bank and confirmed the money in Terry’s possession matched the amount missing.
Kidd said he was pleased everything worked out to quickly apprehend the suspect. Finding the evidence in Terry’s vehicle will help in securing the case.
“It was a wonderful case. Everything lined up,” Kidd said. “I’m very pleased with that. I’m confident we got the right guy, no question.”
The heist marks the first robbery in Buda since 2012, when Denis Escaba Torre, Jr. robbed the Falcon Bank. Kidd lauded the efforts of his department, whose fast response times helped catch Torre.
Ultimately, the communication between departments led to the arrest. Kidd said the “net” of surrounding agencies helps keep the area from becoming an easy target to bank robbers.
“I think we have a great group and a great area,” Kidd said. “This [cooperation] isn’t the first time this has happened. Numerous major crimes have been solved this way.”
