VIDOR, Texas — A Beaumont federal grand jury has indicted a Louisiana man for brandishing a gun as he robbed a bank on July 18.
The federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment, charging a Louisiana resident with bank robbery and a firearms violations, according to U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.
Charleston Jamal Washington, 36, of Lafayette, is being charged with bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a "crime of violence."
Washington is alleged to have used a firearm to rob First State Bank of Texas in Vidor of more than $7,500, according to the indictment.
The indictment also alleges that Washington assaulted and threatened the life of a clerk with the gun during the robbery.
The FBI along with local law enforcement arrested Washington on September 19 in Lafayette.
Vidor Police and the FBI investigated a bank robbery during the morning on Thursday, July 18 and received information that the suspect fled in a Ford pickup.
Just after 11 a.m. during that morning, Vidor police received a report of an armed robbery happened at the First State Bank of Texas at 1384 North Main, according to Vidor Police Chief Rod Carroll.
Police were told that a man in his 30’s wearing a surgical mask, walked into the bank, displayed a gun and demanded money, according to a news release from the Vidor Police Department.
A photo was released that showed the man wearing a black Adidas bucket hat, a black long sleeve jacket with light blue trim and black pants.
The man left the bank with money and drove away in a dark blue late-model Ford step-side pickup truck.
The pickup did not have a license plate but did have a chrome license plate cover with a Ford emblem on the cover.
The truck was seen headed north toward Interstate 10 on N. main St, police said.
No one was injured during the robbery.
The Vidor Independent School District administration building and Pine Forest Elementary were briefly put on lockdown due to the incident, according to a district spokesperson.
If convicted, Washington faces up to life in federal prison.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
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