January 14th, 2010
Deputies arrest suspect in Buda-area car burglaries

Jesse Howard Williams, Jr.

STAFF REPORT

The Hays County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) has arrested and charged a man in connection with a string of car burglaries last week north of Buda.

Deputies have charged Jesse Howard Williams Jr., 40, of Buda, with driving while license invalid (a Class A misdemeanor), three counts of burglary of a motor vehicle (Class A misdemeanors), one count of credit card abuse, (state jail felony). Williams also was charged under a warrant for issuance of bad checks (Class C misdemeanor).

On Jan. 4, the HCSO received four separate calls of automobile burglaries in the 12600 and 12700 blocks of Darryl Drive in the Cimarron Park subdivision located just north of Buda.

A credit card was taken in one of the burglaries. The investigating deputy learned from that victim that the credit card had been used three times at different businesses in the Buda area. The deputy viewed the surveillance video from the three businesses, and, in one of the videos, obtained a good description of the offender.

On Jan. 14, at approximately 7:00 a.m., the same investigating deputy was at the Speedy Stop convenience store located at 5003 Overpass Road in Buda. He observed an automobile pull into the parking lot and, as the driver walked into the store, the deputy recognized the driver as the same person that was seen in the surveillance video.

The deputy approached the individual, Williams, who was driving with an invalid driver’s license. Williams was arrested on that charge, along with a Class C misdemeanor warrant for issuance of a bad check.

On questioning by the HCSO’s criminal investigations division, Williams admitted to committing three of the four burglaries.

Bond has not been set, and the investigation continues.