| A Buda Police cruiser sits outside of the First State Bank following a robbery that took place early Tuesday morning. With the aid of several outside agencies, the suspect, William James Terry, was apprehended near mile mark 206 in San Marcos. Photo by Moses Leos III |
By Moses Leos III
UPDATE – 5:27 p.m.
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 James Terry from San Antonio, was arrested near mile marker 206 in San Marcos. He was booked into the Hays County Jail Tuesday for aggravated robbery.
According to the arrest affidavit, the suspect entered the bank at 9:22 a.m. and demanded money from the tellers. He then pulled up his shirt, displaying a firearm tucked in his waistband.
Tellers complied, handing over an undisclosed amount of money in a plastic bank deposit bag.
Terry then exited, leaving the premises in a white U-Haul passenger van, heading toward the Bradfield Village area.
Several minutes later, Buda Police Department arrived on scene; they were given the description of the suspect’s vehicle.
Buda Police Chief Bo Kidd and several Buda Police 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 near mile marker 219, travelling southbound on the highway.
Kidd, along with Sgt. Bill Kuykendall and Det. Erica Simmons, raced to catch up with the van. Speckles continued to follow the van, 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.
Kidd said almost all of the units arrived at the same time, and the decision was made to make a felony stop at mile marker 206, near the Avalon Apartments in San Marcos.
According to Kidd, the use of 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, and 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 plastic bank bag under the front driver’s seat.
After placing Terry under arrest, Simmons and an FBI agent conducted an interview at the Hays County Criminal Investigation Division conference room, to which he offered a written confession and verbal confession.
After impounding and processing the van, Kuykendall and Kidd returned to the bank, and affirmed 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. However, Kidd lauded the efforts of the Buda Police Department, whose fast response times helped catch Torre.
Ultimately, the communication between departments led to the arrest. Kidd felt 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.”
EARLIER
The First State Bank in Buda was robbed this morning; the bank was open for business. The suspect was arrested in San Marcos, according to Buda Police Chief Bo Kidd. Bank President Terry Mazurek said the Buda Police Department is still on scene as of about 10:40 a.m. He also confirmed that no one was hurt during the incident. The Hays Free Press will provide more details as soon as they become available.
