Man Who Attempted to Rob First Federal Bank in Littlefield is Arrested on Federal Charge

LUBBOCK, TX—Billy Ray Wood, Jr., 18, of Littlefield, Texas, was arrested on Friday by the FBI on a federal criminal complaint charging bank robbery, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas. Wood is scheduled to make his initial appearance this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. in federal court in Lubbock, Texas, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy M. Koenig.

According to the affidavit filed with the felony complaint, on Friday, September 21, 2012, a man, later identified as Wood, entered the First Federal Bank at 2313 Phelps Avenue in Littlefield, attempting to rob it. The affidavit further states that Wood entered the bank with his face masked by a black shirt and wearing a hat. The bank’s receptionist asked him to remove the mask, but Wood refused. He then jumped over the teller counter, attempting to open one of the teller drawers. Not able to open that drawer, he moved to another teller drawer and removed cash. However, as Wood was leaving the bank, a man in the bank grabbed him and removed his hat and mask. Wood dropped the cash and fled on foot to a nearby residence, where he changed his shirt and asked a female at the residence to drive him to his vehicle.

A federal complaint is a written statement of the essential facts of the offenses charged and must be made under oath before a magistrate judge. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The government has 30 days to present the matter to a grand jury. The maximum statutory sentence for one count of bank robbery, however, as presently charged, is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI, the Littlefield Police Department, the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, and the Shallowater Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey R. Haag of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Lubbock is in charge of the prosecution.