ABILENE, Texas — UPDATE (3:30 p.m. March 31): The suspect in a bank robbery this week in Abilene is thought to be a serial bank robber, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham said in a press release Thursday afternoon.
The Albuquerque man, Fernando Enriquez, 35, is suspected of committing a string of bank robberies across Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Mississippi and California. He has been federally charged, according to the release.
Enriquez was charged in criminal complaint Wednesday, March 30, with one count of bank robbery. He made his initial appearance Thursday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge John R. Parker.
According to the complaint, Tuesday, March 29, Enriquez allegedly entered a Chase Bank in Abilene, displayed a gun, demanded cash from the teller and then fled the scene. The teller, who activated her silent alarm during the robbery, later described the suspect as a heavy-set Hispanic man wearing a face mask, grey hoodie, jeans, and a baseball cap, the release said.
A witness who was inside the bank during the robbery used his phone to record video footage of the suspect leaving the bank and getting into a white Chevrolet Suburban with Mississippi license plates. The witness immediately turned the video over to law enforcement.
Forty-five minutes later, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and Abilene Police Department officers pulled the SUV over in Merkel and detained Enriquez and his girlfriend, Crystal Quispe. Inside the SUV, officers found a firearm, a gray hoodie, baseball cap and a significant sum of cash.
Law enforcement transported Enriquez and Quispe to the Abilene Police Department, where Quispe told FBI agents that over the past 14 months, she and Enriquez have lived in Arizona, Mississippi, New Mexico and California. She said even though Enriquez was not employed most of that time, he always seemed to have cash on hand, the release said.
Additionally, she told officers that prior to the robbery, Enriquez left her and his children at a motel, saying he had to fill the car with gas. When he returned, she said, he rushed to get the vehicle loaded and leave. She described Enriquez’s driving during their departure from Abilene as 'faster and more erratic than usual',
Based on physical description and the manner the incidents occurred, investigators believed the suspect who committed the Abilene robbery may have committed similar robberies in Arizona, Mississippi, New Mexico and California. They showed Quispe two photographs from the other bank robberies, both provided by FBI Phoenix and she identified the man in the photographs as Enriquez, the release said.
In the release, Meacham said, "A criminal complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Like all defendants, Mr. Enriquez is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law."
Quispe has not been charged with any crimes. If convicted, Enriquez faces up to 25 years in federal prison.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations’ Phoenix and Dallas field offices conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Abilene Police Department and the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Tusing of the Northern District of Texas is prosecuting the case with significant support from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Arizona.
UPDATE (4:45 p.m. March 30): An Abilene bank robbery suspect has been taken into federal custody, according to an update from the Abilene Police Department.
The bank robbery happened Tuesday at a Chase Bank location on Rebecca Lane.
The APD's Major Investigations Unit, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, working on the bank robbery, placed Fernando Enriquez, who has a New Mexico address, into federal custody for the robbery.
Enriquez was stopped by APD’s Surveillance Apprehension and Tactics Team and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers in Merkel shortly after the robbery. The FBI is in charge of the investigation from this point forward, the APD said in the release.
ORIGINAL STORY: Abilene Police Department detectives are investigating a bank robbery that happened Tuesday morning on the city's south side.
According to the APD, at approximately 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, officers responded to a bank robbery in the 3200 block of Rebecca Lane.
The APD said a Hispanic man entered the bank, displayed a weapon, demanded money and left the scene with an undisclosed amount of money.
A suspect vehicle was identified and an attempt to locate was shared with local and area law enforcement agencies.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and the APD Surveillance, Apprehension and Tactics Team stopped a vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle at approximately 10:30 a.m. in Merkel.
The driver was taken back to Abilene and was being questioned at the time of the release from the APD. No arrests have been made and the investigation continues.
